Keyblade Princess: Cosmos's Crusaders
by YamiChaos27
Summary: A redo of a very old story. A new Princess of Heart with a Keyblade must awaken the power of Harmony to turn the tide against the forces of Discord. Together with her allies, including her light spirit companion, will she be able to restore balance to all worlds? OC centric.
1. Prologue: A New Light

**A/N: I must be crazy to be starting yet another Kingdom Hearts Fic along side three others. Why must I torment myself with my ideas that I can't wait to get out?**

**Anyway here's a little background on this particular story. This is actually a complete redo of a very old fanfic I wrote years ago, long before I even had a Fan Fiction account. The original was written in a screenplay format with not much detail as to what was happening. Needless to say I think it's aged poorly. I had attempted to rewrite it in a novel-like format on Deviantart, but I soon grew bored of writing essentially the exact same story just with update details, started putting off updating it more and more, and then by the time the KH3 trailers started rolling out one by one, I felt like some of my old concepts were outdated, and the direction it was going just no longer works in my mind. However, I didn't want to flat out abandon it partially because it was the first fanfic I ever wrote, but mostly because it shares a connection with the fanfic of another author, which I won't talk about here.**

**As such, I decided to give this story a complete overhaul, redoing the plot from ground up. I've been planning to do this since about July 2018, but wanted to wait until after KH3 came out before starting. I hope I can make it a better story then it used to be.**

**With that, here's the prologue of my Keyblade Princess rework!**

* * *

**Prologue: A New Light**

* * *

On a world deep in the Realm of Light, in a place known as the Luminous Highlands, a religion known as Harmonism is practiced. This religion worships the Goddess of Harmony, Cosmos, caretaker of the afterlife known as Elysium. Harmonism has been a way of life in these highlands since the ancient times of the War of the Champions centuries ago, when a battle between Harmony and Discord took place.

At the very center of this religion, resting at the base of a mountain and surrounded by a forest, was a town called Eveston, where an order of warriors called the Knights of Harmony was established to keep the peace in these lands. In this town, was an ancient shrine that also served as the town's church. Within this shrine was the statue of the goddess herself, depicted as a woman with long hair, wearing a long gown and a tiara with a veil. What stood out the most about this statue was the crystal orb it held in its hands, though no one today is sure what its purpose it.

At this moment, the Harmonists were in the shrine for their afternoon routine of praising their motherly goddess. Though today was a special occasion, for a baptism ceremony was about to begin, where anyone ages seven and up could officially join the faith. Little did anyone know, today was gonna bring them more then just new brothers and sisters.

The head priest of the church stood at his stand before reciting the Harmonist phrase, "May the light forever shine upon you all."

"And you!" the crowd replied.

"And now fellow children of Cosmos, as you are all aware, today is a momentous occasion. For it is the day we welcome five new individuals into the house of Harmonism." The priest gestured a hand towards the five individuals in question. One appeared to be a teenager, one was an adult, and three were seven-year-old children. The children were also accompanied by their parents. All five of them wore a white tunic design specifically for this ritual. "Some are lost souls seeking solace in the light of our goddess, while others are children who have come of age and wish to officially follow their family tradition. Now it is time for the baptism." He then turned to the statue of the goddess and raise his staff.

The eyes of the statue glowed as the floor in front of it began to split open. The opening revealed what appeared to be a pool of water. The priest continued, "When I call your name, step into the holy spring and you will be blessed by Cosmos's light, and you will become one of us, part of our faith, and part of our family." With that the he began calling names and one by one each individual took a quick dip into the holy spring.

One of the seven-year-old children, a girl with silver hair, looked restless as she awaited her turn. Her mother, a pink-haired woman in a cleric attire, kneeled down and whispered to her, "Nervous?"

The girl looked up at her mother with a bright smile. "Excited," she whispered back. "I'm gonna be a real Harmonist like you."

Her father, a silver-haired man clad in armor, patted the girl's head before saying, "I'm gonna ask you one last time: Are you sure you want this?"

"Of course, Papa. After everything you taught me about Cosmos's love, why wouldn't I want this?"

The father chuckled softly. "As long as it's your heart's desire."

"Mizuhime Tenshi!" the priest called the last new follower.

The mother giggled. "You turn, Mizu."

The girl nodded before she approached the holy spring. When she got in front of it, she put her hands together as her bare feet dipped into the water. She walked deeper into the spring until she was deep enough to where she could sit on her knees, take a deep breath, and covered her face as she dipped the rest of herself in the water. When she rose back out of the water, there was a round of applause.

However, that applause was cut short when something unexpected happened. The water young Mizu sat in suddenly started glowing a golden light, causing the girl to stand up in surprise. Something in her chest then starting glowing as well. She put her hand on her heart in confusion as she began emitted strange sparkles of light that then flew into the crystal orb that the goddess statue held, which then started flashing a golden light. Then the statue surprisingly moved as though it were alive, though it only moved enough to release the orb in its hands. The orb then floated in the air in front of the girl. Mesmerized by the sight in front of her, Mizu reached out her right hand and touched then orb, which reacted by glowing so brightly that everyone had to shield their eyes.

Once the light dimmed, the girl moved her arms away from her eyes, and the first thing she noticed was that a glowing mark appeared on the back of her right hand, a golden mark in the shape of a heart with a pair of wings. Having no idea where the mark came from, she looked back at the orb, only to find that it was gone, and in its place was a glowing creature floating in the air. The creature looked like a white rabbit, except its ears seemed to be replaced by gold wings, and it had a gold cottontail. For a moment, it appeared to be asleep, until its gray eyes started to open. It seemed to do a few quick stretches, before rubbing its eyes and looking at the girl before it.

"By Cosmos," the priest muttered to himself as he observed the creature.

After a moment of curious staring, the rabbit creature spoke, **"A child woke me up?"** She seemed to inspect the child. **"So young, and yet you have a strong pure light within you. What is your name?"**

Mizu couldn't help but stare in awe, but she managed to find her words. "M-my name is Mizuhime Tenshi, M-Mizu for short."

**"Mizu..."** The creature tilted her head to the side before nodding.** "I like that name. My name is Lumina, Spirit of Harmony, and Messenger of Cosmos."** She seemed to do an aerial bow.** "It is an honor to meet you, my new master."**

"M-master?"

The spirit seemed to giggle. **"Of course! It was you who woke me from my long slumber. You see that mark on your hand? That means I am bound to you for as long as you live, and my power will be yours to command."**

The girl looked at her mark again in awe. She then looked back Lumina before reaching out her hand and petting the spirit's head. She then let out a giggle as she suddenly pulled the rabbit into her arms. "You're so cute!"

**"Ugh!"** Lumina had never received this kind of affection before, so being cuddle by a little girl like this caught her off guard. **"Mizu! Maybe not so tight!"**

While all this was going on, all the other people in the cathedral were muttering at each other, trying to understand what just happened. Mizu's parents couldn't help but look at each other, stunned by this sudden turn of events.

The priest then tapped his staff on the floor to get everyone's attention. "Brothers and Sisters! We've have bore witness to a great miracle! Our goddess's messenger, Lumina has awoken! And she has chosen a new Champion of Cosmos! Our next savior has come at last." He kneeled down and bowed to Mizu.

Mizu tilted her head in confusion. "Savior? Champion of Cosmos?" She then looked all around her to see that nearly everyone in the church was now bowing to her. She blushed. She honestly didn't know how to feel about this. She turned to her parents who had approached her with smiles on their faces. They pulled her out of the holy spring before pulling her into a loving embrace.

Mizu was overwhelmed by the attention, but felt content in her parents' arms.

* * *

Later that evening, Mizu, now wearing a lavender dress, sat on the fountain with her parents, and Lumina floating above the girl.

Little Mizu stared at her mark, which was no longer glowing but still visible. "I still can't believe I'm supposed to be some kind of savior," she said. "I...don't even know what all this stuff means."

The father then pointed her to the statue in the middle of the fountain, depicting a man clad in armor with a cape and a horned helmet, holding a sword and shield. "You know who that is, Mizuhime?"

The girl looked at the statue. "Of course! That's Cid Lufaine, the Warrior of Light who defended this land from Garland."

"And he was also the first Champion of Cosmos."

"He was?"

**"That's right!"** Lumina chimed in. **"He was first one I chose after Lady Cosmos created me! And now you, Mizu, are my second!"**

"Wow!"

The father then picked the girl up. "You see, my side of our family are said to be direct descendants of Cid himself. His blood runs through our veins. It honestly doesn't surprise me that someone from our bloodline was chosen once again."

**"Ah, but her bloodline had nothing to do with it! It was the pure light in her heart that awakened me! She's quite special!"**

Mizu couldn't help but blush at the praise. "So what am I suppose do as a... Champion of Cosmos?"

The father thought for a moment. "Well, that remains to be seen at the moment. All I know is that it's been prophesied that whoever awakens Lumina is supposed to be a light of hope in the coming dark times. But there is a stepping stone I can point you to. You see that mountain peak right up there. There's an entrance to a cavern that serves as a rite of passage for only the best of our knights to become paladins."

"Like you, Papa?"

"Yes, like me. But the shrine at the end is also said to hold a sacred artifact that apparently only Lumina's chosen can obtain: The Amulet of Harmony."

**"I remember that amulet. Cid, with the help of an alchemist, forged it to help him better control the Power of Harmony I bestowed upon him."**

"One day, Mizu, you will climb that mountain, enter that cavern, and retrieve the amulet. I have a feeling whatever task awaits you, you will need its power to help you accomplish it."

The mother then stood up and patted her daughter's head. "But you won't have to worry about that until you're older, Sweetheart. No way we're sending you into such a dangerous place unprepared."

Mizu had mixed feelings about the whole thing. On one hand, she always wanted to be a holy knight like her father, as it's been kind of a family tradition for generations, and she wanted to be a protector of the people when she grew up. But on the other hand, the whole Champion of Cosmos stuff was a little overwhelming. "Do you really think I can do it?"

The father chuckled. "I know you can. You're our daughter after all. And you've been given a great honor. You still wanna be a holy knight like your old man, don't you?"

Mizu smiled. "Of course I do!"

"Then we'll start there. I'll make sure you're ready for anything."

"Now now, Mizuki," the mother lightly chastised her husband, "let's not be hasty. Chosen one or not, she's still a child right now. She needs time to enjoy being young while it lasts."

Mizuki chuckled. "Right, sorry about that Sakura."

**"I have to admit,"** said Lumina.** "I certainly didn't expect to be awoken by someone her age. But the potential is there, for she wouldn't have been able to otherwise. And I believe she will be a strong champion when she grows up."**

Mizu thought for a minute before smiling cheerfully. "I'll do it! I'll be the best champion ever!"

"That's our girl!"

Then a new voice approached. "It warms my heart to see such dedication to a great honor."

Mizuki looked to see the priest. "Ah, Father Christopher! What can I do for you?"

"I am in need of some escorts, Captain Mizuki."

The paladin handed his daughter to his wife. "Certainly, Your Excellency! May I ask where you are headed?"

"To Abelton," answered Christopher.

"Abelton?" asked Sakura. "That's way on the other side of the Materia Mountains. What's going on?"

"It has come to my attention that there is a child residing there on his own, and may be being treated...unfairly by the citizens."

Mizuki crossed his arms in concern. "How unfairly are we talking?"

The priest thought for a second. "Let me put it to you this way: I've recently been sent requests from that town to deal with a 'demon child' who they claim killed the priestess that was stationed there."

"That's...disturbing news," said Mizuki.

Christopher nodded. "I've been out of contact with that priestess for more than seven years, and now see why."

"Is there even any truth to this?" asked Sakura. "I mean, it just seems like an awful thing to accuse a child of."

"That's what I intend to find out. I wish to personally investigate these claims and meet this so called 'demon child' myself. If I see that these claims are unfounded, I shall either enlighten the citizens or bring child here where I'm certain this treatment will not be continued."

Mizuki nodded with a serious expression. "Of course, Your Excellency! I'll gather a few men and we'll set out in the morning!"

However before anything could be done, a crowd of frightened screaming could be heard. They turned to see that citizens are running scared. They then saw the cause. It was a bunch of dark creatures. Some were pitch black shadowy beings, others were blue humanoids with red claws, steel helmets, and ominous black and red heart shaped symbols.

Mizuki's eyes narrow. "These demons again?" These creatures have been a frequent nuisance in the last few decades. While they had yet to learn their proper name, they weren't anything the holy knights couldn't handle. He put on his helmet and turned to his wife. "Sakura, take Mizu home!"

"Of course, Honey!" Sakura then carried Mizu away.

Lumina started to follow, but decided to stay and observe, so she hid behind the statue.

Mizuki then turned to the priest. "Father Christopher, the Knights will handle this."

"Of course." Christopher then fled to the shrine.

Mizuki then summoned a sword then a shield just as his fellow knights gathered next to him. "Alright, Knights of Harmony! Let's vanquish these monsters!"

It was a relatively easy fight, as the knights have gotten use to these things. Most of the holy knights just hacked away at them, while Mizuki, being a paladin, fended them of with his power of light; whether it be throwing particles of light, firing beams form his shield, of launching energy waves from his sword.

Soon, it appeared as though the monsters were gone, and they were just about to celebrate...

...Until a deep voice caught their attention. "Not bad for a bunch of holy knights!" They turned to see a large man with red eyes, messy black hair, and a thick beard. He wore black gauntlets and greaves, and a purple cape and loin cloth. His upper arms, chest, and abs were bared, showing of a very muscular physique and his dark tattoos. "Afraid it won't be good enough."

"Who are you?" asked Mizuki.

"I am Thaddeus Tomahawk...of the Cult of Chaos."

"Cult of Chaos? Are you responsible for these demons?"

"In a way, yes! While they often act on their own instincts, we however are capable of commanding them." Thaddeus gestures a hand and more of those creature appeared next to him. "Quite interesting creatures, these Heartless, aren't they?"

"Heartless? That's what they're called."

"They are born from the darkness of men's hearts, ever seeking to capture new hearts. Darkness made real. They are simple yet useful creatures on their own. However, add the Power of Discord to them..." his hand then started glowing a dark red. Soon every Heartless became covered by a red aura, and their yellow piercing eyes suddenly turned a magenta color. "...and they become a real force of destruction!" He then sicked the powered up creatures on them.

This fight did not go as well. The Heartless were much more aggressive, and considerably stronger. What's worse is that the knights found that their weapons were completely ineffective. Even Mizuki's light attacks were barely damaging them. It got worse when the Shadows and Soldiers were joined by Neoshadows, as the knights were quickly falling one by one.

Mizuki found himself surrounded, when Lumina came out of hiding and flew to the captain's shoulder. She then started glowing a gold light which quickly spread onto him. Mizuki felt a surge of power coursing through him. One of the Shadows jump up to attack him, only to be struck down by his sword in one swing. Mizuki was surprised by this but quickly focused as he cut down each heartless one by one. Soon he stabbed his sword into the ground, and a few beams of light finished off the rest of them.

Thaddeus glared at the paladin and spirit. "So, Lady Evol was right! The Messenger of Cosmos has awakened! And is already spreading her Power of Harmony!"

Mizuki looked at his gold aura again. "So this is the Power of Harmony?"

The dark warrior then summoned a large dark battle axe. "And now you will hand over the Princess of Heart that awakened her!"

"Princess of Heart?"

"One of seven maidens whose hearts are pure light. According to my mistress, only one such heart could've possibly awakened the Spirit of Harmony. I won't ask again, hand over Lumina's champion and I might let you live."

The paladin narrowed his eyes, knowing that this man was basically after his daughter. "I won't let you let you lay a finger on her!"

Thaddeus chuckled. "Don't be a fool. Even with the Power of Harmony, your inexperience with it can't hope to match my Power of Discord."

Mizuki then glanced at the spirit. "Lumina! Tell my family to leave this town immediately! Tell them to flee into the forest, and not wait up for me!"

Lumina showed great reluctance. **"But Sir Mizuki..."**

"Their lives are more precious than mine, and you know it! Now go!"

The spirit lowered her head in sadness knowing he was right. **"Please be safe..."** she said as she disappeared in a flash of light, using her connection to Mizu to teleport right to her.

Mizuki readied his sword and shield. "As captain of the Knights of Harmony, by the will of Cosmos, I will smite you where you stand!"

Thaddeus smirked. "Just try it!"

* * *

Mizu was clutching her mother in apprehension. While she knew her papa was a strong man, she couldn't help but get this strange feeling that something terrible was gonna happen.

Then Lumina appeared in a flash of light. **"Mizu! Sakura! We have to leave now!"**

"Leave?" asked Sakura. "What's going on?"

**"Some warrior from a group called the Cult of Chaos is commanding those creatures!"**

The mother gasped at this. "Cult of Chaos?! As in the God of Discord Chaos?!"

**"The man can use the Power of Discord so it must be. But worst yet, they're after Mizu!"**

Mizu gasped. "Me?! But why!"

The spirit lowered her head in shame. **"I'm sorry, but they want you because me. They know about my awakening and they're after my chosen one. If we don't get out of here, they'll find you, and... who knows what they'll do to you!"**

Sakura put her hand up to her heart. "What about Mizuki?"

**"He's fighting the commander as we speak. He said to flee into the forest, and not to wait up for him."**

The mother showed great reluctance in leaving her husband behind, but she knew that he'd never forgive her if she didn't follow this important request. "Alright!" she said as she summoned a magic staff. "We're getting out of here!"

"But what about Papa?" asked Mizu.

Sakura couldn't but worry about whether or not they'd see him again, but she had to keep her daughter as calm as possible. "He's gonna be okay, Sweetheart. He'll catch up to us."

Lumina then hopped on Sakura's shoulder. **"Here! You'll need this power to fight against the Discord powered monsters!" **She passed her power to the woman, covering her in the same golden light.

Sakura looked at the power she was given before saying, "Thank you, Lumina."

* * *

Thaddeus brought his axe down onto the paladin.

"**Shield of Light!**" Mizuki shouted as he raise his shield, which was glowing white. Then as soon as the axe collided with the shield, Thaddeus found himself blasted back by a beam of light.

Thaddeus then raised his hand. "**Swords of Desolation!**" He summoned fusillade of energy swords and threw them at the paladin.

Mizuki deflected and dodged the blades. He then charged energy into his sword. "**Luminous Shard!**" He swung his sword, unleashing a wave of light at the dark warrior, who deflected it with his axe. He then dashed over to him and clashed with him a few time before manage to swipe him in his bare chest. It barely made a scratch.

Thaddeus then kicked the knight away, before managing his wound as though it was nothing. "It's been a long time since anyone has ever been able to leave so much as a scratch on me," he said. "Looks like its true that Harmony is a perfect counter to Discord." He then charged energy into his axe. "Too bad the opposite in also true, and your power is still weak compared to mine." He raised his weapon high in the air. "**Chaos Crusher!**" He slammed his axe onto the ground, creating a dark straight-line shockwave along the ground, leave a fissure in its path.

Mizuki charger light energy into his sword and lower the blade to the ground behind him. "**Shining Wave!**" He dragged the blade forward along the ground, unleashing a shockwave of his own, were beams of light arose in its path.

Both shockwaves collided with each other, trying to overpower one another. Soon, the Chaos Crusher overtook the Shining Wave, and blasted the paladin, knocking his helmet off his head and shattering much of his armor.

Mizuki struggled to get up. _He's...too strong... _He thought. _No...I can't...let it end here! _He managed to stand on his feet, albeit shaky.

"I'm impressed you're still able to stand," said Thaddeus. "But you've wasted enough of my time. Give up now!"

The holy knight held out his hand. "**Pearl!**" he said weakly, as a particle of blue light shot out of his palm.

The cultist just deflected the attack. "So you'd rather die a warrior's death," he said. "I can arrange that." He then raised his hand. Soon something erupted from the ground behind Thaddeus. It looked like a giant swarm of Shadow and Neoshadow Heartless clustered together in a flying shapeshifting cloud of darkness, and powered by discord as the cloud has countless magenta eyes. "Chaos Tide! Ravage this entire town, starting with this knight!"

The Chaos Tide rose high into the air before it came down towards the weakened warrior. Mizuki gritted his teeth as he raised his sword and gave out a battle cry as he met the Tide head on.

* * *

Meanwhile, Father Christopher stood outside the Shrine of Cosmos. He had been feeling a very ill omen since shortly after Lumina's awakening. He had hoped it he was just being paranoid, but now a sense of dread was plaguing his mind. Something terrible was happening, he was certain of it now.

It was at that moment when spotted the cluster of darkness in the sky, and his sense of dread magnified.

"By Cosmos!" he said.

Before he knew it, the cluster had soared back into town and start destroying everything in site.

...

And the last thing the priest saw was the Chaos Tide swarming right onto him.

* * *

Sakura ran through the forest, carrying Mizu in her arms, and Lumina flying behind. Soon they found themselves surrounded by Shadow and Solder Heartless, powered by Discord. The cleric put her daughter down as she summoned her staff.

Soon all the Heartless jumped up to them, only for Sakura to jab her staff on the ground. "**Reflect!**" she shouted as a barrier surround them, and upon impact the Heartless were blasted into oblivion. When the dust settled, a Neoshadow appear and charged at them. But the cleric pointed her staff at it. "**Pearl!**" She shot a particle of blue light, which pierced through the creature, turning it to dust.

One then tried to sneak up on them from behind, but Lumina caught it and generated an orb of gold light in front of her. **"Luminous Sphere!" **She threw it at the creature, which exploded on contact.

Soon some Red Nocturnes, Blue Rhapsodies, and Yellow Operas appeared at started casting fire, ice, and lightning magic at them. One fire spell came at Mizu, but Lumina casted a gold barrier around herself and blocked it. Sakura and Lumina were able to fend them off pretty well.

Little Mizu had stepped towards a tree, trying to get away from the action while not straying too far from her mother. Unfortunately, a Soldier leapt next to her and scratch her with its claws. She cried out in pain as she fell to the ground.

The cleric heard her daughter's cry and saw that she had been hurt. "Mizu!" She then raise her staff up high and charged a lot of light. "**Faith!**" Beams of light then rain onto all the Heartless in the area, obliterating them all. She then pointed at her daughter. "**Cura!**" A green light shone on Mizu, whose wounds were healed instantly. Sakura then ran up to her and kneeled. "Are you alright, Mizu!?"

Mizu couldn't help but shiver. "Mama...I'm scared!"

"It's gonna be okay, darling! We're gonna b-" Sakura was cut off mid-sentence when she was suddenly struck from behind by a flying dark axe. She gasped with a shocked expression. Her body started slowly glowing brighter and brighter as she fell over, until she landed on the ground and bursted into sparkles of light in an instant.

Mizu witnessed the whole thing, a look of shock plastered on her face. Her mother was just struck down right in front of her, her body disappearing before her eyes. "M-Mama?" she choked as tears started leaking from her eyes.

The axe that killed Sakura disappeared only to reappear in the hand of a new face. "And here I was expected the champion to be her. But instead it's a worthless little girl."

**"You!" **Lumina recognized the man as Thaddeus. **"Wh-what did you do to Sir Mizuki!?"**

Thaddeus held out Mizuki's helmet. "He fought well, but alas, he was no match for me." He crushed the helmet into his hand.

"P-Papa? H-h-he's..." Mizu stammered, unable to finish her thought.

The large man approached the girl with his axe at the ready, but lumina flew in between them. **"Stay back!"** she shouted as the threw Luminous Spheres at him one after another, only for them to be blocked by the man's axe.

Thaddeus then raised his axe and brought it down on the spirit. Lumina tried to block it with a barrier, but it did her little good as it just shattered on impact, knocking her onto the ground next to Mizu. The warrior glared at her. "This is the Spirit of Harmony? Hah! I gotta say you're not as strong as I was expecting. Has your power diminished in your slumber?"

Mizu just sat their staring at her attacker, trembling and frozen in terror.

Thaddeus shouldered his axe as he looked at the girl. "This is disappointing. You're barely even worth killing. As you are now, you are hardly a threat to us. But my mistress wants you dead and the spirit put back to sleep." He then raised his weapon high. "At least this'll put you out of your misery."

And with that he brought his axe down on the frightened little girl...

...

Only for it to collide with a gold and silver key-shaped weapon. The owner of this weapon was a man with spiky chocolate hair and blue eyes. The men glared at each other before the girl's savior spoke. "Don't you even dare, Thaddeus!" He then shoved the dark one away from the girl.

Thaddeus glared. "Well well! If it isn't the has-been Hero of Light! I take it you and the other Keyblade Masters detected the tremor in the light as well!"

The Keyblade Master gritted his teeth. "Just what do you think you're doing this time!?"

"Out of the way, Sora! The Champion of Cosmos must die!"

The man, identified as Sora, tilted his head in confusion. "Champion of Cosmos? This little girl!?"

"You sense it, don't you? She is one of the seven princesses of heart. And her pure light has awaken the Spirit of Harmony from slumber."

The Keyblade Master couldn't deny that he indeed could sense this girl's pure light. However, he also sensed something...familiar within the girl, but he couldn't dwell on that right now.

Thaddeus lifted his axe again. "As long as that girl lives, she will be a threat to our cause! So we must destroy her, and put the spirit back to sleep!"

"I don't think so! Not if I have anything to say about it!"

"Hah! Don't make me laugh! You and the other Keybearers have always struggled against our Power of Discord! What make you think it'll be any different now?!"

Sora then pointed his Keyblade at his opponent. "Knock me down all you want! I won't let you hurt her!" He then began charging energy at the weapon's tip. It was then that Lumina got back up and hopped onto the Keyblade Master's shoulder and proceeded to passed her power onto him. As a sphere of light formed on Sora's Keyblade, the Power of Harmony caused the sphere to glow brighter. "**Ragnarok!**" he shouted as the sphere burst into many projectiles, that were a little thicker than usual, that homed in on the dark warrior.

Thaddeus braced himself with his axe, but he didn't expect the projectiles to come at him as fast as they did, nor hit him as hard. He growled in pain as he staggered backward. "WHAT!"

Sora was confused. He had never been able to hurt Thaddeus this much before. He looked at himself to see the golden aura surrounding him. He then took note of the rabbit creature perched on his shoulder, who then fell backwards onto the ground and panted in exhaustion.

**"I've lost...so much...power..."** Lumina said between breaths.

"You're gonna pay for this!" The dark warrior shouted as he readied his axe.

The Keybearer wasn't sure what this newfound power was, but he wasn't gonna look a gift horse in the mouth. He dashed at Thaddeus and clashed with him a few times.

Soon Thaddeus shoved him away before raising his arm. "**Swords of Desolation!**" He summoned a fusillade of dark energy swords and threw them at the Keybearer.

Sora leapt back and twirled his Keyblade in front of him, deflecting all the swords, and charging energy at the same time. He then dash at his enemy with his charged weapon. "**Sonic Flash!**" He swiped passed Thaddeus, who then found himself strike seven times at once.

Thaddeus then swung at Sora, who leapt away, before raise his axe. "**Chaos Crusher!**" He slammed his axe on the ground, creating a dark straight-line shockwave and a rupture on the earth in it path.

Sora leapt aside, swung himself around a nearby tree, and flung himself at the cultist with a light charged Keyblade. "**Salvation!**" Thaddeus tried to avoid the Keyblade, only to be engulfed by a pillar of light when it hit the ground.

When the light ceased, the dark warrior kneeled down in pain. "Dammit! I didn't expect just a touch of the Power of Harmony would make a Keyblade Master this strong!"

"Power of Harmony?" Sora asked looking at his hand. _Is that what this power is?_

Thaddeus stood up but then two new faces arrived on the scene. He looked to his left to see a man with silver hair and teal eyes, and holding a sliver Keyblade that more resembled a pin timber lock key. To his left he saw a man with spiky blond hair and blue eyes, and wielded two Keyblades as opposed to one, one black and one white. The warrior growled at the situation. "Don't think this is over! The Cult of Chaos will hunt the girl down and destroy her!" With that he disappeared in a dark portal.

All three men dismissed their Keyblades. The silver haired man approached Sora. "You alright?"

"I'm fine, Riku." Sora answered. "Somehow I managed to catch him off guard."

The blond man then crossed his arms. "We searched the town. It's been completely ravaged. We...weren't able to find any survivors." He then punched a tree right next to him. "Yet another town they decided to destroy!"

"Calm down, Roxas," said Riku.

Sora then turned to the girl he saved. She sat there, still in shock. "Mama...Papa...they're...they're..." The state the poor child was in pierced his heart.

The spirit stood next to her on her hind legs, her head looking down and her wing-like ears drooping. **"Mizu...I...I'm so sorry."**

Sora then approached the Mizu, knelt before her, and held out his hand to her, prompting her to look back at her savior.

No words were spoken between them as they just stared at each other in the eyes. Mizu couldn't comprehend why, but those eyes gave her a strange feeling. In spite of what just happened, she felt...safe.

Meanwhile, Sora could still feel a strange familiarity within her. A presence he had not felt since... _It couldn't be...could it? _he thought. It only made his heart break for her even more.

Then without even thinking about it Mizu just jumped into Sora's arms, and began crying into his chest as he held her comfortingly.

"Poor thing..." said Riku as he watched the interaction. "If only we had had gotten here sooner..."

Roxas looked at Lumina. "Isn't that the strong source light we detected?"

"It seems to be, but the girl also appears to hold one of the pure lights." Riku then turned to the spirit. "Who are you?"

The spirit turned to Riku and answered sorrowfully,** "I'm Lumina, Spirit of Harmony. That's Mizu, my new master."**

"Master?" asked Roxas.

**"Her pure light awoke me from my long slumber, and I'm now bound to her for as long as she lives. And that warrior of Discord was after her because of it."**

"And he still is...as well as the rest of the cult," Sora said as he stood up, carrying Mizu in his arms. "Come on, we have to get her out of here."

* * *

Poor little Mizu had cried herself to sleep. In fact she was still crying in her dream that she hadn't even realized it. Crying into her own hands, she failed notice that her surroundings, in her mind anyway, had changed.

In this dream, she was sitting on top of a large circular platform that appeared to be made out of stained glass, the image on the floor was a gold background with pictures of a four-pointed star, a heart, a shield, an ocarina, and a rabbit. Now normally beyond this platform would be nothing but pitch black, but this time it was surrounded by a what appeared to be a pool of water that seemed to stretch out endlessly and reflected the cloudy blue sky above.

"Mama... Papa..." Mizu sobbed.

Hovering outside the platform was a lone star. Normally a star in this plane would be clear and transparent, but this one had a golden glow to it. This star soon floated towards the crying girl, and when it reached the platform a flash occurred, and the star was then replaced with a woman in a pink dress and a red cloak with its hood up.

The woman walked over to Mizu. _"You poor little girl,"_ she said as she knelt front of her. _"It'll be alright!"_

To distraught to even be startled by the new presence in front of her, Mizu could only choke out, "But...but..."

_"Ssshhh..."_ The woman put her hands on the little girls shoulders in comfort. _"I'm so sorry for your loss. No one, especially a child like you, should have to experience something like that. But you must be strong now. You'll see them again one day. But for now, the worlds will need you."_

"But...what do I do? Without Mama...or Papa...I...I..."

The woman then pulled the girl into an almost motherly embrace. _"It's gonna be okay. You'll see! You're safe now. You're in good hands. You will never be alone, child. This I promise."_

Mizu finally looked up at the woman, she could see blue eyes and strands of red hair inside her red hood. "Who...who are you?"

The woman just smiled and said, _"Oh, just think of me as your guardian angel!"_

"Angel..." she muttered. She couldn't explain it, but she had this strange feeling in her heart as she stared. She had no idea why but, just like the Keyblade wielder who saved her, this woman made her feel safe, only the feeling was slightly stronger with her. Without even thinking about it, she just returned the embrace and started crying onto her shoulder, prompting the 'Angel' to caress the girls hair in comfort.

_"You're gonna do great things, Mizuhime. I know you will."_

* * *

**A/N: And that was the start of my redo of my first fic. Whew, this prologue turned out longer than I thought. I hope you like it. **

**Just so you guys know, any questions you might have regarding Kingdom Hearts III stuff will be address in story later, don't worry. However, don't expect any references to the post-credits scene any time soon.**


	2. Amulet of Harmony

**A/N: Whew, this chapter was a brain teaser. Whelp, after the prologue this chapter takes place about 8 years later. Those of you wondering, I'm setting the story from this chapter onwards about 20-25 years after KH3.**

**Enjoy!**

* * *

**Amulet of Harmony**

* * *

In the Luminous Highlands, resting on the base of a mountain and surrounded by a forest, was the ruins of the once peaceful town of Eveston. Just eight years ago, this town was ravaged by Heartless, and not just any Heartless, but Discord Heartless, much stronger versions of the common Purebloods and Emblems, led by a mysterious cult. The buildings were in shambles, the Knights of Harmony had fallen, and all its residents were wiped out. And now the town remains abandoned, having been labeled cursed.

However, within this supposedly quiet area, a melody could be heard. A melody coming from with one of the few structures that was still stand, albeit somewhat torn, the Shrine of Cosmos. With in this shrine was a fifteen year old girl named was Mizuhime Tenshi. She had shoulder length silver hair, draped over her shoulders. She wore a purple dress with a gold line on the bottom hem, black leggings, brown leather shoes with gold straps, a black belt around her waist with a pair of belt pouches, gold bracelets on her wrists, and in honor of her long holy knight lineage a pair of gold pauldrons decorated with green gems. Also on the back of her right hand, was a gold mark shaped like a heart with a pair of wings, a symbol of her status as the chosen Champion of Cosmos.

Young Mizu was playing on her ocarina, a hobby of hers she found helps relieve her stress. And boy did she need it. She hadn't been back home since that dreadful night eight years ago, the night she lost everything she had known, including her parents. She was the sole survivor, not to mention the target of the attack in the first place. The memories were overwhelming, and she needed to calm herself down. Fortunately, she was playing a very relaxing melody,**(1)** and it was working wonders for her.

When she finish playing she open her indigo eyes and looked up the statue of the Goddess, Cosmos. She then put her hands together in prayer. "May the goddess watch over me," she spoke.

"Feeling better, Mizu?" said a voice from behind. She turned to see a man with spiky chocolate hair, blue eyes and wore red.

Mizu smiled at him. "A lot better, Master Sora."

Sora sighed. "I really wish you'd stop calling me that. You know I don't care for formalities."

The girl giggled. "Sorry, Master, but I was taught to show my superiors the proper respect, unlike some people," she said almost teasingly.

Then a rabbit creature floated down and perched on Mizu's shoulder. **"I personally don't know why you bother, Mizu,"** she said in her own teasing voice. **"He hardly has the demeanor of a master. And he himself has a habit of not showing proper respect when he should."**

The man rolled his eyes. "Very funny, Lumina!"

"It's okay, Master," said Mizu. "We both know you mean well no matter how you address people."

"Right! Anyway, shall we get going?"

The three then exited the shrine and stared up at the mountain right next to the ruined town.

"That's it," said Mizu. "Mount Lufaine. Name in honor of one of the founders of the Harmonist Holy Knights, Cid Lufaine. Location of the Guardian Shrine where the Amulet of Harmony is said to be located."

Sora rubbed the back of his head. "Are you sure you're ready for this?"

"I've been seeing that place in my dreams every night for the past week. And every time, I am drawn inside. I...I think the amulet is calling out to me."

**"If it really is calling her, then it must be time,"** said Lumina.** "And you know we will need its power if we are to turn the tide against the Cult of Chaos."**

The master sighed. "Well, we better get this done quickly," he said. "The longer we linger here, the more likely they'll find us."

The girl nodded. "Right, let's go."

With that, they all headed over to the mountain.

Little did they know, a flying mechanical drone was watching them from high above at this very moment. "Well, well, well!" a voice from the drone's radio sounded. "Look who's finally come home!"

* * *

The three of them climbed up the mountain's peak until they reached the entrance to a cave. They stared at the cave until Mizu spoke. "The Cave of Trials. No telling what I'll have to fight through in order to reach the Guardian Shrine."

"You sure you wanna do this alone?" asked Sora.

"I have to," answered Mizu. "Not only is it tradition for one to face the trials alone, but...I need prove to myself that I can stand on my own two feet."

Sora sighed. He wanted to tell her that he thought she was too young for something like this. But telling her that would've made him a hypocrite, seeing how he was no older than her when he started going to other worlds fighting monsters. And besides, he understood where she was coming from. No amount of training can ever truly prepare someone better than actual experience. And he knew he couldn't always be there to protect her. She needed this. "Alright! Never been one to deny when someone's heart has decided what they wanted to do. As the old saying of Keyblade wielders goes, _May your heart be your guiding key!_"

The girl giggled as she turned to her master. "Don't worry. After everything you've taught me, I'll be fine. Besides, I'll at least have Lumina with me."

**"Yep!"** said Lumina.** "As her guardian Spirit of Harmony, I have special privileges. I'll be sure to watch her back!"**

Sora chuckled. "I'll be counting on you for that." He then put his hand on his apprentice's shoulder. "Just promise you'll be careful in there, okay?"

Mizu then embraced her master, which he returned. "I will," she said. They then let go and Mizu turned to the cave.

"Hey, Mizu," Sora said, prompting her to look back at him. "May the light shine upon you."

Mizu smiled, touched at his use of her people's religious phrase. "And you," she replies.

The champion approached the cave entrance. She paused for just at mouth. She wouldn't admit it out loud, but she was nervous. This would be the first time she did something on her own, without her master around. But she knew she needed this.

_"Relax, Mizu,"_ a familiar voice in her head sounded. _"You can do this! Just take a deep breath, and move forward!"_

Following the voice's advice, she took a deep breath and steeled herself before walking in.

Watching the girl walk in, Sora looked up at the sky and said, "I hope you really are watching over her."

* * *

Mizu strolled through the Cave of Trials with Lumina flying next to her. It was quiet at first, but then they both paused upon sensing an ominous presence around them.

Sure enough, Heartless appeared all around them. Shadows, Soldiers, and Red Nocturnes.

**"At least these are just run-of-the-mill Heartless, so this shouldn't be too hard." **Lumina commented.

Mizu took another breath as she held out her right hand. In a flash of light a weapon appeared in said hand. It was a Keyblade with a black handle its hilt was a pair of silver wings, right at the base of the shaft was a gold four-pointed star, its shaft was the lavender blade of a short sword, and its teeth were a gold heart framed by two prongs, and the gold keychain token matched the mark on her hand.

She swung her Shining Hope Keyblade twice before taking her battle stance: right foot forward, left wrist raised and facing forward, and Keyblade held in front of her.

One Shadow rushed to attack, but Mizu sliced it with ease.

A Soldier leapt up to her from behind, but Lumina caught it. **"Luminous Sphere!"** The spirit blasted it with a sphere of light.

A few Red Nocturnes hurled a few fireballs at them. Mizu deflected them before a cold mist gathered at the tip of her Keyblade as she pointed it at them. "**Blizzard!**" She shot a gust of ice at them, which froze them solid.

The rest was breeze, as they successfully slew every Heartless around them.

Mizu sighed in relief. "That wasn't so hard."

**"You see?"** asked Lumina. **"Nothing to worry about!"**

"Let's just hope that's all we're gonna face in this cave."

With that, the duo continued onward.

* * *

Sora sat on the wall at the cave entrance, he appeared to be asleep.

Soon, a Neoshadow that was covered in a red aura and had magenta eyes as opposed to yellow popped out of the ground nearby. After a short pause the Neoshadow leapt over to attack the Keyblade master.

Only to be slain by his Kingdom Key without him having to look. He rubbed his eyes as he stood up, before looking around to see a bunch of those Neoshadows with the same aura and eyes. "Discord Heartless," he muttered. He knew that the presence of Discord Heartless could only mean someone from the Cult of Chaos was here.

He couldn't dwell on that though, as they leapt up to pile onto him. Sora then raised his Keyblade high in the air. "**Sparkga!**" Three rings of light crystals revolved around him, grinding into the Heartless before knocking them back. More of them came at him as he charged energy into his weapon. "**Ars Arcanum!**" He then started slice through the monsters left and right with a wild spinning combo attack.

Once all of them were slain, another wave took their place. The Keyblade Master then decided to step it up. He held his Kingdom Key in front of him and then it began to morph. It soon transformed into a large mace, with a silver staff and a gold bludgeoner with silver crown shaped blades on the sides and a gold crown on top. "**King's Mace!**" **(2)** He then started slamming his King's Mace on the Neoshadows one by one. Sometimes the mace's bludgeoner would extend from the staff via an extendable chain, acting like a flail.

Sora crushed the Heartless until they gathered in front of them. Deciding to finish this, he charged light into the mace's bludgeoner. He then leapt high into the air. "**Ultima Crash!**" He swung toward his enemies, releasing the chain flail, which crashed into the ground and created an large explosion of light, obliterating every last Discord Heartless.

Sora sighed as his King's Mace reverted back to his Kingdom Key.

"Still fighting, I see," a voice sounded.

Sora turned to see an unpleasant figure. "Thaddeus," he said angrily. "You have a lot of nerve showing your face around here again after what you've done!"

The figure clad in black armor (aside from his bared chest and black maned head) approached the Keyblade Master. "And you have finally decided to come out of hiding," Thaddeus said. "Eight years you and the princess have been on the run from us, but we knew she would come back here eventually to retrieve the Amulet of Harmony. Our good old doctor made sure to keep surveillance of this place."

"Well, good for you for being prepared."

"I must say though, I've never pegged you for the type to lay low."

"What can I say? Training the Champion of Cosmos how to fight took precedence."

"And you hide away while your allies do all the fighting? Some Hero of Light!"

"In my defense, they were ones who insisted on taking care of everything while I focused all my time protecting and training Mizu." Sora than smirked. "Besides from what I hear, they're doing just fine without me. The Cult of Chaos must be slipping if my friends have managed to take back some territory from them."

Thaddeus growled. "The only reason the Guardians of Light managed to get a leg up is because of Lumina, and the power of Harmony she bestowed upon you all. Don't think just because you've obtained Discord's counterpart means you can truly defeat us."

"If you really believed that, you would even bother targeting Mizu now would you?"

"Say what you will. The light of the universe will soon snuff out. Now move aside, so we can deal with the girl."

The Hero of Light readied his Keyblade. "Not a chance!" He then charged over to the cultist, clashing with his axe, and locking weapons with him.

Soon however, Sora noticed something rush passed the both of them, heading into the entrance that he had just left wide open. "No!" he shouted as he looked back and saw a figure charging inside.

"Eyes on me, Sora!" said Thaddeus, who then shoved him away. "I'm your opponent!"

Sora cursed himself for letting his guard down, and letting another cultist passed. Now he was stuck fighting Thaddeus while someone else is going after Mizu. He didn't sense anything familiar about this one, so it definitely wasn't one he had encountered before. _Mizu... Be careful!_ he thought to himself, having no choice but to trust her to deal with the unknown assailant.

* * *

Meanwhile, the newcomer was charging through the cavern in pursuit of his target. He came to a halt before a bunch of regular Heartless surrounded him.

However he just shook his head a raised his hand coated in dark red energy. Then the Heartless suddenly gain a red aura and their yellow eye turned magenta. The figure then pointed into the cavern and the newly turned Discord Heartless follow his direction.

"This better be worth the effort," he grumbled to himself. "I'm sick of pathetic weaklings."

* * *

Mizu and Lumina trekked through the tunnels, slaying every heartless that stood in their way. They also had to go through several obstacles along the way, including hopping on single-foot-sized steps to get across gaps, running up flat walls, and even solving a few puzzles.

Soon they came up to a large chamber with a golden shrine at the end, adorned with a crystal orb on top of a pedestal.

"So this is the Guardian Shrine," said Mizu. "I remember Papa telling me that once a knight passed a trial in this chamber, which I think had something to do with facing your dark side, they were bless with the Power of Light to become a Paladin...or if they were mage they'd become a Cleric." She then let out a sad chuckle. "Kinda gives me a sense of pride that my parents were both a paladin and a cleric."

**"Well, seeing how you already have the Power of Light, not to mention the Power of Harmony, I doubt this chamber will give you that trial,"** said Lumina,** "especially since you can't really face your dark side if you don't actually have one to begin with."**

Mizu giggled. "Right. We're here for another reason." She then felt a warm pulsing sensation on her right hand. She looked to see that her mark was flashing. She then looked over to the pedestal and noticed that there was a symbol that matched her mark except it had a ring around it with a sun-like pattern.

The two started to approach the shrine, only to be stopped by another group of Heartless. Only these ones were not the run-of-the-mill kind. **"Discord Heartless!" **shouted Lumina.

"Then the Cult must have found us," Mizu said as she summoned her Keyblade.

A Discord Soldier charge at Mizu with its claws. The girl defended the attack, but found herself having to put more effort into holding it back.

Discord Nocturnes fired a fusillade of fireballs at Mizu, only for Lumina to fly in front of them. **"Divine Protection!"** A barrier of white light surrounded her, taking the flames and rendering them null.

Mizu pushed back the Soldier before slashing it a few times to destroy it. A Discord Shadow leapt at her, striking her in the shoulder, but she then knocked it back before charging light at the tip of her Keyblade. "**Pearl!**" She fire a particle of light the tore through the Shadow, before it struck a couple of Nocturnes as well.

Lumina charged at a few Soldier as she started twirling herself. **"Angelic Spin!"** She drilled through each and every one of them.

Mizu was freezing a Nocturne when a bunch of Shadows suddenly dog-piled on top of her from behind, pinning her to the ground.

Lumina took notice of this. **"Mizu!"** She then dashed into the pile and used her Divine Protection to repel all the Heartless off of Mizu.

Mizu stood up before raising her Keyblade in the air. "**Thunder!**" And bolts of Lightning rained on the Shadows. A gold aura then surrounded her as she charged light through her Keyblade. "**Sonic Blade!**" she shouted as she started dashing all over the place rapidly, while Lumina followed suit with her Angelic Spin, and together they struck down the remaining Discord Heartless.

Mizu was winded as she raised her Keyblade. "**Cure!**" A green light enveloped her, healing the injuries she received in this fight. "My goodness, that was tough."

**"Indeed!"** replied Lumina as she perched on Mizu's shoulder. **"But we won!"**

Mizu giggled as she petted her spirit companion. "You know, I think we make a good team, don't you, Lumina?"

Lumina nuzzled the girl's hand **"Yes, we do!"** Suddenly she sensed something hurling towards them.** "Look out!"** the spirit shouted as she projected a barrier around them to block a dark projectile.

"You need a tiny flying rabbit to protect you?" a voice sounded from the tunnel out of the shrine. "How pathetic!" They looked to see a shadowy figure standing before them.

**"Excuse me!" **Lumina shouted with annoyance. **"I'll have you know, I am the Spirit of Harmony! Do not compare me to a simple animal!"**

"As if I care," the shadowy figure said before looked to Mizu. "So you're the so called Champion of Cosmos, huh? You certainly don't look like much. Then again, you seem to have handled the Discord Heartless fairly well. Also I'm told that it's not very often that a Princess of Heart obtains a Keyblade."

Mizu pointed her Keyblade at the figure. "Show your face! Who are you?"

The figure stepped into the light, revealing a boy about the same age as Mizu with short red hair and yellow eyes. He wore a red vest, dark pants and boots, black fingerless gloves with red straps, and a chain necklace with a red medallion the had the white wolf head on it. Mizu couldn't help but wince at the numerous scars on his bare shoulders and upper arms, and couldn't help but wonder how he got them or if there were any more that she couldn't see. A calm yet angry look could be seen in his eyes. "My name is Adrian Cain. And I have orders to kill the Champion of Cosmos."

**"Wow," **said the spirit. **"I didn't think the Cult of Chaos would recruit someone as young as you."**

"It's none of your business," Adrian said as he summoned a weapon in his hand. It was a large sword with a bronze blade the had a couple chips on it as well as what looked like a couple of blood stains, was covered in dark tendrils some of which reached the tip forming an arrow shape, had a red gem on the hilt, and a short chain attached to the bottom of its black and red handle. "Now, come and fight me, Princess!"

Mizu stared at the boy before turning to her spirit companion. "Lumina, hang back. I wanna see if I can fight him on my own."

Lumina looked at her master with a hint of worry, but quickly understood why she requested this. **"As you wish, Mizu, but don't expect me to sit and watch if the battle turns dire."** She then floated behind Mizu to let her fight.

"Agreed," Mizu said. She had to admit, she was nervous about fighting a member of the cult all by herself. But like she told Sora, she needed to prove to herself that she can fight on her own. That didn't stop her nerves, as she knew nothing about this member nor how to fight him. But then she remembered one of the lessons Sora taught her: _Don't think too much, or else you'll miss every opportunity your enemy gives you. Sometimes you just gotta go with the flow and trust your instincts._ With that in mind, she went into her battle stance, ready to face her opponent.

Adrian's eyes narrowed as he took his own battle stance: Right foot back, slightly crouched, left arm raise with hand in a grabbing position, and his sword held behind him. "At least try to make this a worthwhile fight!" He then charged at the girl, clashing his sword with her Keyblade. The two clashed a few times before the boy leapt back and charged dark energy into his palm. "**Dark Fira!**" he shouted as he threw several dark fireballs.

Mizu dodged them before gathering fire magic into the tip of her Keyblade. "**Fire!**" she shouted and the launched a few fireballs of her own.

Adrian dodged, before charging at the girl again. They clashed a few more times, before locking blades with each other, which the boy was slowly pushing back. "Is this the best you can do?" he scoffed. "And here I thought this Keyblade was supposed to be testament to your strength."

Mizu gritted her teeth before saying, "Well, my Master told me that brute strength isn't everything." She then pointed her left index finger upward. "**Thunder!**"

Adrian however broke away before a bolt lightning could struck where he was previously standing. He then swung his sword, launching a dark red energy arc at her.

She dodged before pull back her Keyblade. "**Strike Raid!**" She threw the Keyblade, which managed to strike him in the shoulder. She summoned it back to her hand before charging light at the tip. "**Pearl!**" She fired a light projectile that landed square in his chest knocking backward.

However he got back up and darkness started gathering around him. "So you do have some fight in you," he said before letting out a battlecry as the darkness intensified. "Now come at me, Keyblade Princess!" He then gathered darkness into his sword. "Give me a real fight! **Dark Wave!**" He then launched a large burst of darkness.

Mizu braced herself before the blast knocked her onto the ground. She shakily got back up. She then took a deep breath before a golden aura surrounded her. She dashed at him, and start clashing with the boy several more times.

Adrian then kicked her in the gut, sending her back, before leaping into the air. "**Dark Break!**" He dived toward her with his dark covered sword ready to stab her.

She then gather light through her Keyblade. "**Prism Windmill!**" She dashed to her attacker whilst twirling her Keyblade in front of her.

Their attacks collided, and they're both sent backward.

Adrian chuckled. "Yes! That's right! I want this battle to be satisfying!" He then raised his hand high in the air. "**Dark Thundara!**" And purple lightning rained down on the area.

Mizu dodged the bolts left and right, but then one managed to hit her, causing her to cry out in pain as she fell to her knees.

**"Mizu!"** Lumina shouted as she started to flying towards her partner, only for Mizu to raise her hand in a halting signal, prompting the spirit to stop in her tracks.

The girl shakily stood up with a pained but determined look on her face. Adrian then charged toward her, locking blades with her once again. They struggled to push the other back again, but then the golden glow returned to Mizu and she manage to shove him away.

Adrian growled as he gather darkness in his sword again. "**Dark Wave!**"

Mizu, still glowing, gathered light into her Keyblade, pulled it back and onto the ground, and dragged her blade forward. "**Shining Wave!**" She unleashed a linear shockwave that left a trail of light beams coming up from the ground.

The attacks collided, however, Shining Wave managed to overpower the Dark Wave, and it impacted Adrian hard, causing him to shout in pain as he was sent crashing into a wall.

The dark swordsman grunted. "Damn it! I was far too careless!" He was about try and get up when the he found himself with his opponent's Keyblade up close and pointed right at him.

Mizu was panting in exhaustion, but kept a firm gaze on her enemy. "Leave now!"

Adrian growled before shouting, "Don't think this is over! Next time, you won't be so lucky!" He then disappeared in a dark portal.

Mizu dismissed her Keyblade as she let out a sigh of relief. She managed to successfully fight off her first member of Cult of Chaos. But she knew she couldn't let her guard down. She had this feeling that this wasn't going to be the last she saw Adrian in particular.

Lumina floated up to her. **"You did great, Mizu! You just drove one of the Cult members away!"**

"Yeah, but something tells me fighting the others will be more difficult."

**"But this proves that your training has payed off! You'll be strong enough to face them in no time!"**

Suddenly, the crystal on the pedestal glowed a golden light, gaining the duo's attention. **"Impressive, bearer of the Mark of Harmony!"**A voice echoed throughout the chamber. **"****You have shown courage and strength, as well as mercy to your enemy! You've proven your worth as the Champion of Cosmos! Now, place your marked hand on the Crest of the Goddess, and claim what you seek!"** The crystal ceased glowing as the voice faded.

The duo then went over to the shrine the pedestal. Mizu then looked at her Mark of Harmony again, which was still flashing, before looking at the near identical Crest of the Goddess on the front the pedestal. She place her hand on the crest, and both her mark and the crest glowed brightly. Once the light dimmed, the side of the pedestal then split in two, opening up to reveal a golden amulet.

"By Cosmos," Mizu said as she grabbed the trinket and stared at it in awe. "So this is Amulet of Harmony."

The light spirit inspected it closely. **"Wait a minute... There are supposed to be four gemstones on this amulet!"**

The girl looked closely and noticed the four indentations, three circular around one triangular in the middle. They looked like they could be slots. "Huh! That's strange, I wonder where they are."

_"Not on this world I'm afraid," _said a voice from behind. They turned to see a blue star had appeared in the chamber. Then the star shifted into a ghostly humanoid shape.

Mizu soon recognized the person's face. "F-Father Christopher?"

The ghost nodded. _"It warms my heart to see you again, Mizuhime."_

The girl smiled and she approached the priest. "Same to you, Your Excellency! But how are you here?"

_"It is one of the powers of the Amulet of Harmony. It allows you and those around you to communicate with Lost Souls."_

"Lost Souls?"

**"Sometimes when a departed soul winds up in limbo, whether due to some unresolved baggage or something they're clinging to, a piece of their heart lingers in the mortal realm. These are what we call Lost Souls."** Lumina answered.

_"That is correct,"_ said Christopher. _"And unfortunately, mortals are unable to communicate with Lost Souls without the power of that amulet. As for me, the reason I am here is that despite my demise, I feel it is still my duty to offer my guidance to the Champion of Cosmos before I depart for Elysium."_

"I see," said Mizu. She then looked down in sorrow. "Father Christopher? I... I'm so sorry."

_"For what, Mizuhime?"_

"The Cult of Chaos...they were after me that night. Our home...my parents...the Knights of Harmony...everyone... They're all gone..." Tears started falling from her eyes. "...all because of me! I'm so, so sorry!"

The ghostly priest shook his head. _"It wasn't your fault, child. No one could've predicted what was to come. Although, I should have. I had heard rumors of a cult dedicated to the God of Discord, but I never believed them to be serious. Had I known how much of a threat they'd be, maybe we would've been better prepared for such a calamity, though honestly given what we witnessed, I'm not sure it would've made much of a difference. But what's in the past is done, and it is unwise to dwell on it. In the end all we can do is move forward. The cult cannot be allowed to ruin more innocent lives. The fact that they can use the Power of Discord is very concerning. Mizuhime, I am so sorry to place such a heavy burden on you, but as the Champion of Cosmos, you are the worlds' greatest hope. If anyone can put a stop to the Cult's madness it is you."_

Mizu wiped the tears from her face. "I won't deny that I'm scared, Your Excellency. But I know you're right. As the chosen Champion, and a child of Harmonism, I have a duty to uphold; a duty to Cosmos, to our people, and to all worlds. And more than that, I don't want anyone else to suffer at the Cult's hands."

Christopher smiled. "Glad to see you're still dedicated to our faith after all these years."

Mizu giggled before looking at the amulet. "So, you said the gemstones are not on this world?"

_"Indeed! As you can see the amulet is incomplete. While alone it grants a boon to your Power of Harmony and gives you a limited connection to the Spiritual Realm, without the Celestial Stones, it will not be able to access its full power." _

"Celestial Stones?"

_"The Courage Emerald, the Wisdom Sapphire, and the Power_ _Ruby;_**(3)**_ each of these grant the holder of the Amulet of Harmony unique abilities to aid them in battle. It is even said that you can pass a stone's power to an ally who has a strong affinity with the virtue it represents. And then there's the Purity Diamond, said to be able to bind the other three together and capable of boosting Harmony even further."_

"Wow! So what happened to them?"

_"They have been scattered to other worlds. Which worlds I cannot say. But if you are to face the forces of Discord, you will need to find them and restore the amulet to its former self."_

Mizu looked down, concerned. "But if they're scattered in other worlds, how do I find them? I mean, I know how to get off world, but it'd be like finding four needles in a giant haystack."

_"The Amulet should be able to guide you." _Father Christopher's ghost then started pacing around. _"However, even if you find their location, you will also have to pass a trial in order to obtain them, each one different from the other. However, the Purity Diamond will be the most difficult, because unlike the other three, you will not be able to find it simply by looking for it. But that you'll have to find out on your own."_

"Boy..." the Princess of Heart put her fist up to her heart. "It just couldn't be easy, could it?"

_"Unfortunately... But I have faith that you'll be able to accomplish whatever task is thrown at you. You are your parents' daughter after all."_

Mizu could help but chuckle. "Your Excellency, may I ask? How well did you know my parents?"

Christopher paused for a moment as he looked up nostalgically. _"I knew them both quite well. Your father was a young knight in training when I first met him. A stubborn child he was, insisting on training more even if he was exhausted. He was loyal, headstrong, and dedicated to protecting his home. And as he grew, he became a cunning warrior, and a wise leader. I knew that if anyone in his generation would become a paladin, it would be him, and he did not disappoint. And you mother was a young girl with a magical gift and a strong love for Harmonism. She wanted to help spread our faith around the world, as well as help protect and heal anyone she could. It came as no surprise that she succeeded in becoming a cleric." _He then looked at the girl with a bright smile. _"And I can see with my own eyes how much you have both of your parent in you."_

The young champion blushed at the compliment. "Th-Thank you! Though I think you give me to much credit."

The priest chuckled. _"Oh come now, Mizuhime, don't sell yourself short. I saw your fight with that warrior of discord, and you handled yourself well. You should be proud of the progress you've made. And you will only grow stronger from here on out. Yes, I foresee you will become a great holy knight." _He then put his hand on her shoulder. _"Just have faith in yourself, keep your chin up, and know that Cosmos will be watching over you, and you will become the savior you were destined to be."_

Mizu thought about what he said. She couldn't deny that she was still scared. However, looking at her Mark of Harmony, she knew she couldn't let fear stop her. She nodded before saying, "I won't let you down, Your Excellency!"

_"Glad to hear it!" _Christopher looked at himself, noticing he was starting to fade. _"And now I believe my duty has been fulfilled, and the time has come for me to pass on to Elysium."_

Mizu was saddened to see that he had to go now. "Do you really have to? I was hoping to talk to you a little more."

_"I'm afraid so. We all have to rest in peace eventually. But do not be sad. For I, as well as your parents, will always be in your heart. Do not pity the dead, pity the living."_

The girl wiped her watery eyes again before giving a sad smile. "I understand."

_"And one more thing: That young warrior you fought, I advise you to keep an eye on him. Something tells me he is more than what he seems."_

Mizu nodded. "I'll be on my guard." She then bowed to the priest. "And thank you again, Father Christopher."

_"You are most welcome, Mizuhime Tenshi." _Christopher bowed back. He then turned to the light spirit. _"I trust you will aid her in any way you can, Great Spirit Lumina?"_

**"Of course I will, Noble Priest Christopher," **answered Lumina. **"I've been by her side all these years, and have grown quite fond of her. I'll be with her every step of the way!"**

_"Thank you. Now go forth, Champion of Cosmos! Use your powers wisely! And may the light of the goddess forever shine upon you!"_ With that, Christopher vanished.

Mizu was still sad to see him go. But it was no use dwelling on it. She looked at the Amulet of Harmony in her hand again before finally putting it around her neck. She took a deep breath before saying, "Well, Lumina, it looks like we still have more work to do."

**"Indeed! Now let's get out of here and meet up with Master Sora."**

"Right!"

* * *

Sora and Thaddeus were fighting until the dark warrior turned to the entrance as though he realized something. "Adrian actually fled? That princess must have driven him off. It would appear that you trained her well, Sora!"

The Keyblade Master smirked with pride. "I guess did! Now what are you gonna do, Thaddeus?"

Thaddeus growled before saying, "Don't think you can protect her forever! She will fall, mark my words!" He then disappeared in a Corridor of Darkness.

Sora dismissed his Keyblade as he let out a sigh of relief. The Cult has left, for now, and Mizu successfully fought off a cult member on her own. He felt a sense of pride that his training payed off for her. He still couldn't help but worry for her, but perhaps now was the time to officially come out of hiding.

Sora waited at the entrance until Mizu and Lumina finally came out, a new amulet now around Mizu's neck. "Welcome back, Princess! Is that the Amulet of Harmony you came her for?"

"Yes, Master," Mizu answered.

"Wow! Great job, Mizu! Look like you're well on your way to becoming a true Champion of Cosmos

"Thank you. Although, I've learned that the amulet is incomplete. Its four Celestial Stones have been scattered to others worlds. I'm gonna need to find them as well in order to unleash its full power."

Sora sighed. "It just can never be that easy, can it?"

"I know what you mean."

"So, the members of the Cult were just here."

"I know, I fought one of them. He said his name was Adrian Cain."

Sora scratched his head. "Adrian Cain? That's not a name I'm familiar with. But then again we've been laying low for so long. I think it's about time we made contact with the others."

"Okay!"

* * *

**A/N: And there you after! A short demonstration of Mizu and Lumina's combat prowess as their journey begins. I hope you liked it.**

**Next time, I'll be properly introducing the main antagonists of the story, the Cult of Chaos.**

**Footnotes:**

**(1) In case you're curious, she's playing Dearly Beloved.**

**(2) I was somewhat disappointed that Sora's Kingdom Key doesn't transform like most of the others in KH3. So I decided to make one up myself. Based on the Kingdom Key's general design and name, I came up with the King's Mace. I hope you like it.**

**(3) Yeah I took inspiration from Legend of Zelda for this.**

* * *

**As stated before this is actually a complete overhaul of a very old story. Just for the fun of it, I decided to inform you of some of the changes made from the original, a little at a time as the story progresses. Here's the first batch.**

**Changes from original:**

*** The Opening: In the original I began with a Dive into the Heart and an homage to KH2's Twilight Town, but with only 4 days instead of 6, before tragedy occurs. In fact Mizu's home town, called Hikari Town then, was more akin to Twilight Town, right down to having a swordplay sport. Mizu was also the daughter of the mayor, and had a talent for sword fighting. This time I decided not to go through all that again, and decided to change her background entirely, and have her tragedy happen much early in her life to set up a more believable relationship with Sora.**

*** Harmonism: Religion wasn't actually a thing in the original story. All I had was a mystical amulet and two opposing spirits. I attempted to include snippets of a lost religion in my previous attempt at writing, but now I'm making it a full part of the story, taking inspiration from Dissidia Final Fantasy to have Cosmos and Chaos as deities of the afterlife.**

*** Lumina: Originally called Tairei before I decided to refrain from using too many Japanese names this time around. Her name is now derived from the word 'luminous'. Originally though, she didn't appear until just before the final level, in fact her awakening was the driving force of Mizu's journey in the first place, which was upon the completion of the amulet. Now I decided to have her awaken from the start by Mizu's pure light in a baptism ritual to better establish a bond between the two.**

*** Princess of Heart: Mizu's status as a Princess of Heart was kept under the rug for most of the original story. In hindsight, I probably did not handle the twist very well, and I think I was dancing around the obvious a little too much. Plus, it didn't make much sense to keep Mizu herself in the dark about it when it was (in that version) the primary reason she was being targeted by the villains (more on that next chapter). So I decided NOT to have it a secret and let Mizu be aware of it from the get go, especially since it's now canon that the seven pure lights can pass on to new hosts. There's actually a second part to the original twist, but I'll talk about that much later, though to be perfectly honest you'll probably figure it out on your own by the time it's brought up. Just know that this was the pretty much basis for the original story, which was the one thing I didn't want to change.**


	3. Cult of Chaos

**A/N: I'm posting this just before E3's Square Enix Conference. And I'm hoping for more information regarding that KH3 DLC teaser we got yesterday!**

**Anyway, this chapter is mostly more character introductions. I gotta admit though, it was tough trying to figure out how to have some of these characters interact.**

* * *

**Cult of Chaos**

* * *

Thaddeus and Adrian entered a dark chamber, where they are greeted by two other figures.

"Well, isn't this a disappointment?" the first figure. He had spiky dirt-blond hair with brown streaks and black eyes, wore a white lab coat and red lensed high tech goggles. Floating next to him was a mechanical drone with blade-like wings and a laser gun mounted below it. "I go through the trouble of alerting you to the girl's return home, and you two fail to dispose of her."

"The Champion seems to live up to her title," replied Thaddeus. "And now that she has the Amulet of Harmony, she will be an even bigger threat."

"And whose fault is that?" asked the other figure. This was a woman with long purple hair, a teal eye, and pink lipstick. She was also a cyborg, having a robotic right arm and both legs plated in red armor, and a camera-lens-like eye. "I seem to recall that it was your job to kill her, wasn't it Adrian?"

"Shut up, Abigail!" snapped the boy. "I underestimated her! That won't happen again!"

"Whatever! I still think I should've been sent instead. I would've killed her easily!"

"Oh sure," said the man in the lab coat. "And risk failure as a result of your prosthetics malfunctioning because they were way passed due for maintenance? Especially with your habit of toying with your prey before the kill? Not on my watch." He then chuckled.

"Screw you, Durza!" Abigail growled as she looked at her robot arm. "As much I love how useful these are for killing, I swear they can be a hinderance sometimes."

Thaddeus crossed his arms. "You wouldn't even need them if it wasn't for your own carelessness."

"No one asked you, Thaddeus."

"Enough!" a voice called garnering their attention. They all looked to see their leader. It was a woman with brunette hair with red bangs, heterochromia eyes: a violet right eye and a red left eye, and purple lipstick. She wore a long dark dress parted to expose her right leg, black knee-length boots, a red cape, a circlet on her forehead, and a black gauntlet on her right hand. Dark tattoos covered her exposed tan skin. She also held a dark staff in her left hand.

"L-Lady Evol!" Thaddeus said fearfully as he took a bow, the others followed suit.

Lady Evol walked over to her throne and sat down. "Report."

"My sincerest apologies Milady! We failed to kill the Champion of Cosmos! She was stronger than we thought. And Sora was as resilient as ever."

"And now the she has the Amulet of Harmony," Evol said with irritation in her voice. "How long must she allude us?"

"She won't run for long!" Adrian declared. "I'll see to it that that Keyblade Princess bites the dust myself!"

"And let you hog all the fun?" said Abigail. "I don't think so." She then approached the boy. "You already had your chance. I'm afraid when it comes to killing the 'Keyblade Princess' as you called her, it's first come first serve."

"You stay out of this! She's MY target!"

"Oh? And what makes you so special?" The cyborg then raised her robotic arm's claws in front of his face. "Compared to Thaddeus and myself, you're little more than a grunt."

Unfazed, Adrian shoved the arm aside. "Unlike you, I get no satisfaction from killing the weak! And you are not gonna steal my first worthy opponent that's not one of those infuriatingly strong Keyblade Masters!"

"I am afraid that cannot be helped, Adrian," said Evol. "The longer we allow her to live, the bigger a treat she will become. And now that she has the amulet, I will not take any chances. I will not risk it for your personal satisfaction."

The boy growled before he slowly approached the leader. "I have not had my _real_ fill since I joined this stupid cult!"

"Stand down, boy!" shouted Thaddeus.

Ignoring the brute, Adrian summoned his sword. "Look, I care not for your useless god! But I'll be damned if I let anyone take away this one opportunity for me to truly feel ali-aaauuuggghhh!" He was cut off when he suddenly felt a sharp pain in his chest.

Lady Evol had raise her gauntlet covered hand. The gauntlet began to glow a dark red aura, as a small black hole appeared to form on Adrian's chest. The boy felt like his own heart was being squeezed by his own darkness. He was then raised into the air as he shouted in pain. The sorceress then flung her hand forward and Adrian was sent crashing into a wall, an invisible force holding him in place. She glared at him before saying, "Do not forget your place, Adrian Cain! I will not tolerate insubordination! And insult the great and mighty Chaos again, and I will make your suffering worse than Inferno! Are we clear?"

Adrian grunted before saying, "W-We're...c-clear...Evol...augh!" He felt another squeeze in his heart.

"_Lady_ Evol?" the mistress corrected.

"L-Lady...Evol..." With that, the hold on his heart was released and he dropped to the floor on his knees, breathing heavily. He looked around to see Thaddeus glaring at him, Abigail grinning smugly, and Durza just shrugged nonchalantly.

"Now then," the dark priestess said. "The Guardians of Light have proven to be quite troublesome as of late."

"That's an understatement," said Durza. "It is quite sad if you ask me. We used to be such a huge organization, with those Guardians on the ropes. But ever since they attained the Power of Harmony, we've have lost so many of our forces."

"Indeed," said Thaddeus. "We're all that's left of our inner circle."

"I say good riddance to those weaklings," said Abigail. "If they couldn't survive, then they had no right to be with us."

"The Champion of Cosmos has brought hope to the Guardians," Evol continued. "They are growing ever stronger. We will need to act swiftly and decisively if we are to change that hope to despair. It is about time we remind them why the Cult of Chaos is to be feared."

Abigail grinned. "That's exactly what I like to hear! I need a chance to let loose."

"Doctor Durza, what is the status of our...secret weapon?"

The doctor put his hand on his chin. "Not ready yet, unfortunately." He then chuckled. "But rest assured, I know I'm getting close! She'll be the ultimate weapon very soon!"

The cyborg groaned. "You and that pet project of yours. How long are we gonna have to wait?"

"Patience! You cannot rush science you know?"

The mistress sighed. "We will make do for now. However, now that the amulet is out in the open, Harmony will start getting even stronger than before. To stand a better chance at combating this, I will have to make your Discord much stronger." She then raised her gauntlet, showing the four gemstones attached to it. Three circular, one yellow, one cyan, and one magenta, and a black triangular stone. "For that, I am loaning you my Abyssal Stones."

"Pardon me for asking great mistress," inquired Thaddeus, "but are you certain you want to weaken the Gauntlet of Discord?"

"As I said, I will not take any chances. The gauntlet itself will suffice for now." The stones then glowed before detaching from the gauntlet and float in the air. "Adrian, I am loaning you the Hate Topaz."

The yellow gem darted at the boy. He grunted in pain as the Topaz embedded itself onto his left shoulder. He could feel a new power flowing through him.

"Abigail," Evol continued. "You will be receiving the Pain Garnet."

The magenta stone darted at the cyborg, embedding itself onto her forehead. She then smiled in glee at the Garnet's power. "Oh I can't wait to use this power!"

"Dr. Durza, I know you are not normally a combatant, but do what you will with the Terror Turquoise."

The cyan stone darted at the doctor, embedding itself on the back of his right hand. He stared at the Turquoise with mad intrigue. "Exquisite! Perhaps this could aid me in my research!"

"And Thaddeus, I am entrusting the Oblivion Onyx to you."

The black triangular stone flew to the soldier, embedding itself onto his bare chest. "I am honored, Milady!"

Evol then stood up. "The stones will passively strengthen your Powers of Discord. And you can tap into the stones' powers at will in various ways. However, I must give you all a couple of fair warnings. First, your bodies may take a while to adjust to the stones, so do not be surprised if you suddenly find yourself in pain during battle. Second, you must use them with caution; overuse or overpowering could have serious consequences. Is that understood?"

"Yes, ma'am!" everyone said collectively.

"Good! Now then, we must prepare for our next attack."

Adrian looked at the Hate Topaz on his shoulder. He wasn't sure what he thought about receiving a power that wasn't his own. But he couldn't really complain. If it allowed him to take worthwhile prey, then all the better for him. He then looked at his sword, which he had dubbed Bleeding Rage, and ran his hand along the side of the blade.

"Don't think you got rid of me, princess," he muttered to himself. "Next time, you're mine!"

* * *

Mizu opened her eyes and found herself in a very familiar world. A circular stained glass platform surrounded by an endless body of water that reflected the cloudy blue sky.**(1)** She would come here every so often in her dreams.

Looking down at the platform and noticed that the image had changed since the last time she was here. The gold background remained the same. Now it had an image of herself, standing in the middle with her Shining Hope Keyblade held in hand, and even had her new amulet. An image of Lumina flew to the around her with a trail of sparkles. Around Mizu were five circles(technically there were seven but Mizu was covering two of them). Two of the bottom most circles were a darker shade of the background, and each had the colorless facial image of someone Mizu was close to, one of was her master, Sora, while the other was her hooded guardian angel. The other three circles above were empty of facial images but were all different colors: blue, green, and red. There were also multiple silver copies of her Mark of Harmony lining the edges of the platform.

She stared at the image curiously until a familiar voice caught her attention. _"Congratulations on retrieving the amulet, Mizu!"_

Mizu looked to see the woman in a pink dress and red cloak with a smile. "Thank you, Angel!" She then looked at the Amulet of Harmony. "I'm one step closer to becoming a true Champion of Cosmos."

_"Indeed!" _replied Angel. _"You've done a great job so far."_

Mizu blushed as she rubbed the back of her head. "You give me too much credit. If it weren't for all that you and Master Sora taught me, I wouldn't have succeeded. I really have to thank you for your advice on how to keep myself calm. I was really scared back there."

Angel giggled. _"You're welcome, Mizu. But didn't Father Christopher already tell you not to sell yourself short? Yes, Sora taught you how to wield a Keyblade and I gave you some pointers of my own, but in the end it was your own dedication that helped you get this far."_

The silver head giggled. "If you say so." She then looked down nervously. "I just hope I'll be able to keep it up. I know there will be more battles to come. Am I really ready for them? I mean...what if I end up having to face..._him_?"

_"No one is ever one hundred percent ready for anything."_ The hooded woman then looked down herself._ "I won't lie, things will start to get tougher from here on out." _She then smiled. _"But believe me, you will grow stronger for it. I believe in you. And I know Sora does too. You just have to believe in yourself. And if you do face _him_...well, just know that you won't necessarily have to face him alone. I'll always be right here. And so will Lumina in the physical world. We're here for you."_

Mizu thought for a second. In all the years this woman had been contacting her in her head or her dreams, something in her heart is always compelled to believe her in spite her doubts. She looked back up with a smile. "I guess you're right. You know, I'm really glad you're here, Angel. I can always count on you to help me feel better."

_"Anytime, Mizu!" _

* * *

A red Gummi Ship was floating in the space between worlds. Piloting this ship called the Highwind was Keyblade Master Sora himself. He had finally turned on Gummiphone, having been keeping it off for long periods of time because one of the cult members was apparently VERY tech savvy, and he didn't want take any chances. He was about to make a call but he couldn't help but look back at one of the passenger seats, where his apprentice, Mizu, was currently sleeping, with Lumina napping on her lap. The girl was exhausted after retrieving the amulet, so he decided to let her sleep.

He couldn't help but stare. He had grown quite attached to the girl over the years. Dare he say, he had actually come to care for her like he would his own daughter. And he was proud that she was able to accomplish something on her own. Perhaps she really was ready to go out on her own. He sighed at the thought. He really didn't want to let her go, but it would be for her own good. If she was to truly become stronger, then she couldn't depend on her master being there for her all the time. He's witnessed himself what can happen if someone lacking in experience gets pulled into an all out war.

His thoughts were interrupted when his ringtone went off. He answered his Gummiphone, and was greeted by a dog's face on the screen. "SORA! HOW YA BEEN, BUDDY!"

"Shhh!" Sora hushed. "Can you keep it down? Mizu's asleep right now."

"Oops! Sorry! We noticed your signal turned on and I got excited."

The man chuckled. "Good to see you too, Goofy."

Then a duck's head squeezed next to Goofy. "Sora! Long time no see!"

"Same to you, Donald!"

Then the phone on the other end was grabbed and now the screen displayed a mouse with Donald and Goofy look over his shoulder. "Ha-ha. Good to see you're doing alright, Sora."

"Likewise, Mickey!"

"So what's going on? I know you wouldn't have turned your Gummiphone on if you weren't intending on checking in."

Sora took a quick glance at Mizu before answering, "Well, you should know that Mizu here has just retrieved the Amulet of Harmony."

Mickey jumped in surprise. "Really? I didn't think that would happen so soon."

"Whether we think she's ready or not, we can't deny this little stalemate with the cult won't last forever."

"Whelp, I can't argue with that."

"We also have a slight complication. Apparently the amulet is incomplete and its four Celestial Stones are scattered across other worlds."

Mickey put his hand on his chin. "That does complicate things."

"I'd like to give you a detailed report in person."

"Ah, perfect timing! We've just called for a meeting here."

Sora smiled. "Nice! I'll see you all there!"

He hung up before setting a course for Disney Town. He looked back at Mizu again and he jumped in surprise. A star had appeared next to the sleeping girl. He had seen stars like this before, but never with a golden glow nor in the physical world. He noticed Mizu's amulet was faintly glowing, and wondered if that had anything to do with this. Before he knew it, the star had morphed into the shape of a ghostly figure, a woman in a cloak. Sora was stunned at the sight, but more than that, something struck him in the heart as he observed. He felt a very familiar sensation, and was overcome with a heavy mixture of happiness and sadness.

The ghostly woman reach her hand out to the sleeping Mizu and petted her hair gently. She then looked toward Sora, and after a short pause she gave him a warm smile.

Sora looked like he wanted to say something to the ghost, but then Mizu started stirring awake and the ghost vanished, and Mizu's amulet stopped glowing. Sora looked disappointed that he didn't get to talk to her, but realizing Mizu was waking up, he quickly looked back at the course he was flying. The girl stretched as her spirit companion also stirred awake and followed suit.

Sora soon said, "Have a nice nap?"

Mizu rubbed the sleep out of her eyes. "I think so."

Lumina hopped atop her partner's head. **"Me too!"**

"So where are we headed, Master?"

"To Disney Town," Sora answered. "A meeting had just been called, and we're gonna attend."

"I see. It's been a while since the last time we saw everyone."

"Indeed it has. We need to catch up what's been happening recently."

**"It is good to know that the Power of Harmony has been helping you all through this mess," **said the spirit. **"And now that the amulet is out in the open, Harmony should start getting stronger."**

"That's good to know."

Mizu thought for a moment. "Hey, you think we'll run into those two new friends I made a few years ago? I kinda miss them."

Sora thought for a second. "It's possible. Last I heard, those two had taken an interest in Gummi Ships. So who knows?"

With that, the Highwind flew through space to its destination.

* * *

In a fun and cheerful looking land, an aircraft was flying through the air. The craft flew straight at first, but then it started performing rather dangerous stunts.

"Cassidy!" a male voice shouted. "Could you cool it already!?"

"Oh, come on, Drake!" a female voice called back. "Where's your sense of fun!?"

"You're wild flying flung it over board!"

Soon a bang could be heard within the craft and it started shaking and descending.

"Whoa!" Cassidy exclaimed. "What just happened?!"

"I told you this prototype was not yet ready for your level of hotdogging!" Drake snapped. "We're gonna crash!"

"Not if I can help it!"

It was rough, but somehow the craft was landed at the right angle to skid along the ground before stopping near the town gates.

Soon, the cockpit opened up and out leapt a seventeen year old girl with teal-green hair tied in a pony tail, light-brown skin, and red eyes. She wore a black sleeveless shirt just small enough to expose her navel, a red cross-belt around her chest, grey fingerless gloves that reached her elbows, brown shorts with a black belt, black leather boots that reached her knees, and a pair of yellow goggles on her head. "Oh yeah!" she shouted. "See Drake? I told you I'd land this thing safely."

Then out of the cockpit stumbled a sixteen year old boy with navy blue hair and brown eyes. He wore a black and gold vest over a white long-sleeve shirt, brown work gloves, blue cargo pants with a tool belt, beige work boots, a beige backpack, and a pair of green goggles on his head. "Yeah, and you did a number on her in the process," he sighed. "Did you really have to push my fighter jet so hard, Cassidy?"

"Hey, isn't that what prototypes are for?" Cassidy replied as she stretched. "Pushing to their limits to make improvements?"

"These parts aren't cheap, you know," said Drake as he pulled out his phone and started fiddling with it. "And do you know how much hard work I put into her? Seriously, this is my first big solo project and now its gonna take weeks to repair."

"Oh, don't be a baby. At least I didn't total her beyond repair, right?"

"Well there's that. But still she won't be flying anytime soon." The young engineer then put his phone away. "Okay, Horace is gonna pick her up. May as well head to the hanger and check on my other project with Chip and Dale."

"Oh great!" The young pilot chirped. "I am so looking forward to trying that out!"

The two started walking through the town as Drake said. "I hope you take it easy on the first flight. Outer world travel is much more treacherous than air travel."

Cassidy snickered. "That just makes it all the more fun!"

The boy sighed. "You know, you've really got to cut these dangerous stunts. It's not good for your health...or mine...or any passenger you take."

The girl groaned. "Aw, quite being a worry wart! It's like I always say: If you're not taking risks, you're not really living!"

"But that shouldn't come at the expense of others. And besides, how do you think I'd feel if anything actually happened to you?"

Cassidy paused for a moment before sighing. "Fine, I'll _try_ to tone it down." She then looked up at the sky and then spotted something soaring in the distance. "Hey, is that a Gummi Ship in the sky?"

Drake quickly pull out a pair of high tech binoculars from his backpack, and looked to the object himself. "Indeed it is, Cass. And not just any Gummi Ship, that's the Highwind!"

"Highwind! " the girl perked up. "Isn't that Sora's ship?"

"That's correct!"

"But then that means..." Cassidy then got a little giddy and grabbed the boy's hand. "Come on, Drake! Let's hurry!" And then she ran as fast as she could while dragging him with her.

"H-hey! Slow down!"

* * *

The Highwind landed in the Gummi Hanger. Sora stepped out of the ship, followed by Mizu with Lumina on her shoulder. They were immediately greeted by three familiar faces: Mickey, Donald, and Goofy. The latter two quickly ran up to Sora and tackled him to the ground as they all had a fit of laughter.

"We missed you so much, Sora!" said Goofy.

"No kidding!" said Donald.

"I missed you guys too!" replied Sora.

Mizu couldn't help but giggle at her master's reunion with his old partners.

Mickey then walked up to them. "We're really glad you're here, Sora, and you too, Mizu."

"As are we, Your Majesty!" replied Mizu.

Mickey then took a look at the amulet around the girl's neck. "So that's the Amulet of Harmony?"

Mizu nodded. "Incomplete. But yes."

Sora stood back with Donald and Goofy. "So, has anyone else made it yet?" asked Sora.

"Nope, you're the first ones to arrive," answered Mickey

Suddenly two people came bursting into the hangar. "YO MIZU!"

The silver head smiled at the new arrivals. "Cassidy! Drake!"

Cassidy ran up to Mizu and pulled her into a bear hug. "It's so good to see you again!"

Mizu could barely breathe in the older girl's crushing grip. "C-Cass! I can't breathe!"

Cass released the young Keybearer. "How have you been? It's been so long!"

"I've been doing fine. But what are you two doing here? I thought you were living in Radiant Garden."

"We are," answered Drake. "We just took temporary residence here a few months ago to work on our careers, especially after gaining a fascination with Gummi Ships. Chip and Dale have actually been helping me build my own ship."

"Really?"

"Yeah, it's over there, actually," Drake point to an orange ship with some red fire decor.

"Nice!" exclaimed Sora.

"I call it the Phoenix!"

"It's practically finished," said Mickey. "Chip and Dale are just doing some triple checks to make sure it's functioning properly and safe to fly."

"I hope they don't take too long," said Cassidy. "I've been itching to fly this thing for a while now."

Drake gave the green head a deadpan stare. "Just remember what I said to take it easier. I really don't want you to wreck it even worse than my prototype jet fighter."

"Yeah yeah, whatever!"

**"Well, it's good to see you two haven't changed,"** said Lumina.

Cassidy then took notice of Mizu amulet. "Oh, I'm liking that necklace you're wearing. It looks good on you."

"Thanks," replied Mizu. "It's actually the Amulet of Harmony."

"Amulet of Harmony?" asked Drake.

Before anymore could be said, a portal opened up nearby. In walked a tall muscular man with brunette hair and a small beard, wearing brown outfit, and gold armor on this left arm. "Well well! Look who decided to join us!" he said as the portal closed behind him.

"Good to see you too, Terra," replied Sora. "How's Aqua and Herba**(2)**?"

"They're doing fine," answered Terra. "Aqua is actually prepping Herba for her first real mission."

"Really? You think she's ready to go out on her own."

"She'll be supervised in this first one, but I believe she's earned a chance. Doesn't stop me from worrying though."

"Believe me, I know what you mean." Sora glanced in Mizu's direction. "I'd be lying if I said the idea of letting the baby bird leave the nest didn't worry me as well, even if they have proven themselves capable of handling things without your help."

Terra then glanced at the girl as well. "Has Mizu actually done so?"

"Yeah I just got done letting her venture into a dangerous cave to retrieve an important artifact, where she ended up fighting a bunch of Discord Heartless and a Cult grunt all by herself."

The taller man whistled. "That's very impressive!"

Mizu put her hands behind her. "Really Master Terra, it was nothing. Besides I had Lumina with me."

**"But I stayed out of your fight with the cult member on your request, and you won without me assisting once." **Lumina pointed out.

Terra chuckled. "Now that doesn't sound like nothing to me." He then turned back to Sora. "You see? We both know they'll never truly grow if we don't let them. Trust me, Aqua and I made that mistake before."

"Yeah, I know."

Soon, another ship landed in the hanger, a white ship.

"Ah, the Twilight has arrived," said Sora.

Once the Twilight docked, a spiky blond in white leapt out. "Sora! What are you doing here?!" he asked in delight as he ran over to him.

"Long time no see, Roxas!" Sora exclaimed as the two grabbed each other's hand in a pumped fashion.

"No kidding! You missed out on a lot!"

"I know!" The brunette then looked around. "Hey, where's your wife? I thought she'd be here too.

"She's back home." Roxas then scratched the back of his head. "Someone kinda has to stay behind to provide for the kids."

Sora was taken aback. "K-kids? You mean... Since when?"

"Almost a year ago," the blond answered. "Twins, to be exact."

"Wow! It really has been a long time since I last checked in with you guys. But congratulations man!"

"Thanks, Sora."

"So what did you name them?"

Roxas then looked down with a sad smile. "Well,...we decided to name them...after our fallen friends."

Sora flinched but gained a sad smile of his own. "I see. I'm sure they would be honored."

"I sure hope so. Anyway, she and I have been taking turns working at the bistro and going out on the field. And thankful Olette is more than willing to babysit the twins for us."

"That's good to hear. Man I can't wait to see them for myself."

Roxas then looked to Mizu. "And how are you doing, Mizu? Is Sora being a handful yet?"

"Hey!" Sora protested.

Mizu giggled. "No, Master Roxas! Master Sora has been just as good a teacher as ever. No problems at all!"

"He better have been. Some of us have been worried this knucklehead wouldn't make a good teacher."

Donald and Goofy both laughed at Sora's expense, to which he rolled his eyes. "Yeah, yeah! Laugh it up!"

Terra shook his head in amusement. "Well, considering Mizu just completed her first solo mission, I'd say Sora must be doing something right."

Sora then scratch the back of his head. "Well, I think it helps that she's been such a good student."

**"You can say that again,"** said Lumina. **"She's got talent for sure, though she is rather modest about it."**

"Lumina!" Mizu blushed in embarrassment. If only she could tell them that she had a guardian angel in her head that was also helping with her training. But Angel made her promise to keep it a secret. Besides, she was afraid everyone would think she's crazy.

Soon, yet another Gummi Ship flew in, this time a purple ship.

"Hey, it's the Falcon." said Drake.

Once the Falcon docked, a silver haired man in black stepped out. "Sora! I didn't expect to see you here!"

Sora smiled. "Good to see you too, Riku!"

Then Drake approached, dragging Cassidy with him, and bowed to Riku. "We are honored by your visit, King Riku."

Riku sighed. "I'd really rather you not treat me like a king while I'm away from home."

Mizu giggled. "Whatever you say, Master Riku."

The older silver head looked to Sora. "You still haven't gotten her out of those formal habits, huh?"

Sora shrugged. "Try as I might, she still insists on calling some of us _Master_."

**"Might as well not waste your time,"** said Lumina. **"With a paladin for a father and a cleric for a mother, etiquette is just etched into her soul."**

_Plus it's always fun to mess with Sora this way, _Angel's voice sounded in Mizu's head, to which she mentally nodded.

"So anyway, Riku, how's the family?" asked Sora.

"They're doing all right," Riku replied. "They're taking care of things back home in Radiant Garden."

The spiky brunette smirked. "Bet little Suigetsu has grown since last time I saw him."

Riku chuckled. "Oh, he has alright. Though I swear he's gotten a little too mature for his age."

Terra laughed. "He probably takes after you in that regard! When I first met you, you seemed a little too smart for a five year old."

"Very funny! Would you believe that he actually wants to be a scientist?"

"Oh really?" asked Sora. "Doesn't want to be a warrior like his old man?"

"He still sees it necessary to be taught self defense, but yes, he's rather fascinated by the scientific department. He's actually started taking lesson from Ienzo."

"Hopefully he doesn't get carried away with experiments," said Roxas, "like some other scientists I know."

"Oh don't worry! We're making sure to drill into his head that some mysteries are better left alone."

Cassidy looked around for a second. "Boy, a bunch of Keyblade Masters in one place. Something going on?"

It was Riku who answered. "I called for a meeting. I had just got some new intel. And seeing how Sora and Mizu have decided to join us, it may be about time we discussed our next move against the Cult of Chaos."

"Right!" said Mickey. "Let's head to the castle library."

The Keyblade Masters then started walking out of the hanger, along with Donald and Goofy. Mizu, Cassidy, and Drake followed suit, lagging a few paces behind as they decided to catch up.

Cassidy turned to Mizu. "So you must have gone on quite the adventure with Sora, haven't you?"

"Indeed," the silver head answered. "So many different worlds out there. Of course we didn't really sightsee all that much, as we were more focused on my training, and staying out of Cult's sight as much as we could."

"You know, Drake and I have actually be delving into combat ourselves since last time we saw each other." The green head then summoned a polearm with a wide, gold and silver spearhead with a smooth, round, blue gem embedded in it. "Check this out! This Rune Lance is capable of channeling elemental magic through it. Fire, ice, lightning, wind, water. It's quite handy, and a thrill to use."

Drake then summoned what looked like a mechanical staff with a glowing red gem. "This is a Magitek Staff. Casting magic is a breeze with this baby. And not only that, I can even charge energy into the gem for harder physical attacks if my enemies get too close."

"Wow!" said Mizu. "Have you guys been in any battles?"

The blue head shrugged, "Not much more than run-of-the-mill Heartless. We have yet to fight one of those...Discord Heartless, I think they called them, though."

**"Well, you'd be hard press to fight off Discord Heartless as you are now," **said Lumina. The rabbit spirit then flew onto the heads of both Cassidy and Drake, pass the Power of Harmony to each of them. **"There! Now Discord shouldn't be impossible for you to fight against."**

Cassidy was visibly confused. "Wait, what did you just do to us?"

"Well, explain later," answered Mizu. "Right now we have a meeting to attend."

* * *

Soon, everyone entered the castle Library where they were greeted my another mouse in a queen's attire. She noticed the two familiar faces she hadn't see in a while. "Oh, Sora, Mizu! I didn't know you were attending this meeting."

"Yeah, we kinda invited ourselves after hearing it from Mickey," replied Sora. "How have you been, Queen Minnie?"

"It's been swell! How about you?"

"A lot of progress has been made with Mizu's training. Just got done letting her retrieve a Harmonist artifact all on her own."

Minnie smiled with glee. "Oh that's wonderful news! She must really be getting stronger!"

Mizu chuckled nervously. "Th-thanks your Highness!"

"Alright," said Mickey. "Now that everyone available is here, we should begin this meeting."

"Hold on. Are those two privy to this information?" Terra asked pointing at Cassidy and Drake.

Cassidy put her hands on her hips. "Oh come on! Don't start actively leave us hanging now. Everyone has been so tightlipped about it, but I really want to know what this Cult of Chaos actually is."

"I agree," added Drake. "Cass and I lost our home world because of them, and we're tired of being out of the loop."

Mizu gave Sora a pleading look, making him sigh before saying, "Let's let them in on this. They're the closest things Mizu has to actual friends now, so I think they deserve to know what's going on. Besides, while I have been training Mizu to combat them, I've never actually told her anything I knew about them."

Donald looked at Sora with a deadpan expression. "Seriously? You haven't said anything to her about them."

Sora chuckled as he scratched the back of his head nervously, "I was waiting until I was confident she was ready to take them on."

"Sora! What are we gonna do with you?"

"I don't see anything wrong with that," said Goofy. "Sora is just looking out for her."

"It's okay," said Mizu. "I don't blame him. But...now that I have the Amulet of Harmony, I think I should know as much as I can."

"Very well," said Mickey with a sigh. "A quick refresher shouldn't hurt anyone." He then held out his hand and a transparent image appeared. It was a symbol similar to the Crest of Cosmos, except it was purple, the heart was upside down, the wings were more jagged, and the ring around it had four prongs on the cardinal directions of it.

"The Cult of Chaos is an organization that worships the Harmonist God of Darkness and Discord, Chaos," said Sora. "They showed up on our radar over fifteen years ago, and have caused major trouble ever since."

"That long, and you still haven't taken care of them?" asked Cassidy.

"Do not take them lightly," said Riku. "Trust us, there's a reason they're so dangerous, and that's largely due to the Power of Discord."

"Power of Discord?" asked Drake. "What's that?"

"Think of it as a boon to the Power of Darkness," answered Terra. "If you thought Darkness alone was destructive, add Discord into the mix and it cranks that up to eleven, if not fifteen. Not only does it give their darkness a major power boost, but it also makes their bodies much more durable than normal. So much so, that it takes more effort for even a Keyblade alone just to lay so much as a scratch." The image changed to that of a standard Shadow Heartless, which was joined by another Shadow, except with magenta eyes as oppose to yellow and was shrouded in a dark red aura. "Even worse is that they can use it to power up the Heartless, turning them into Discord Heartless, making them even more deadly than before."

Mickey made the Heartless images disappear and replace them with one of a figure covered in shadow as he continued. "They're led by a mysterious dark priestess named Evol Reficul**(3)**. Not much is known about her, but her subordinates claim that she's a very powerful sorceress."

"You sure she's not one of those leaders who's all bark and no bite?" asked Cassidy.

"Don't count on it," answered Roxas. "You wanna know how dangerous she is? We've dealt with our share of dark sorcerers and sorceresses before, and while we have yet to encounter her personally, from what we've been hearing Evol puts every one of them to shame. She single handedly destroyed the most powerful sorcerer we know, Yen Sid, and took over his tower."

Mickey looked down in sadness. "He was a retired Keyblade Master, my own teacher, and our most reliable source of wisdom. That was the Cult's first act against us that put them on our radar. However, we had no means of combatting their Power of Discord. Without Master Yen Sid, we didn't have so much as a clue what we were dealing with."

Terra clenched his fist. "We spent more than seven years in a losing battle against them, failing to protect other worlds from them. And worse we..." He then looked down in sadness. "We lost some of our closest friends because of them." Everyone else had the same sad looks on their face, although Mizu noticed that Sora's looked the most pained out of all of them.

Both Cassidy and Drake looked at each other, and back at everyone in understanding. "We're so sorry," they said.

Riku continued. "It wasn't until just eight years ago that we finally gained a leg up, after we discovered the Power of Harmony."

"I take it Harmony is a boon to Light?" asked Drake.

"Correct! And it has proven to be the perfect counter to Discord. Not only can it greatly strengthen the Power of Light and fortify our bodies, but it can also add its properties to elemental magic. And through experimentation we also discovered that it can even add its properties to dark powers as well, though to a much lesser degree."

Sora took over. "We discovered Harmony when us Keyblade Masters sensed a sudden burst of light from a distant world."

**"That would be me," **Lumina interjected, **"waking up from centuries of slumber thanks to Mizu here." **Mizu twirled some of her hair as she blushed nervously at the attention. **"I am able to grant the Power of Harmony to others, allowing them to combat Discord more effectively."**

"And after that," Roxas continued, "we were finally able to actually fight back. They still prove to be very formidable, but we've been able to at least push back some. We've even managed to cut the some of the Cult's inner circle down. They're as resilient as ever though, and recently we've been at something of an impasse, with neither side really gaining any true ground."

"We've been able to cut their inner circle down to five members, including Evol herself." Mickey then wave his hand and the shadowy image disappeared. "We'll start with the youngest member."

The new image that popped up was familiar to Mizu. "Adrian," she said.

"You know him?" asked Riku.

"I just fought against him, when I went to retrieve the Amulet of Harmony."

Sora crossed his arms. "Yeah this kid is a new one for me. He's a little younger than I would've expected from the Cult."

"Adrian Cain," said Terra. "We're not sure how long he's been a member, but he showed up on our radar just last year. Riku and I have had our fair shares of encounters with him. This boy is a young swordsman who seems to have a lot of anger issues. His darkness and Discord are strong, and he's the most aggressive of the bunch. However, he's also definitely the weakest. Although he has surprised us a few times, he's never once been able to overpower us Keyblade Masters."

"Not much else is known about him," said Riku. "Although...from what I hear, this kid supposedly massacred his entire hometown...at age ten."

Sora, Mizu, Drake, and Cassidy all winced at that. "Seriously?" asked Sora. "All by himself?"

"I can't say for sure. It seems a little farfetched for a ten-year-old to even pull off such a feat. For all I know, it could be an exaggeration. Also, it seems to contradict what I've observed from him. I've caught him shouting at civilians demanding strong opponents to fight him. Unlike the other Cult members, he seems to have no interest in attacking bystanders, and only seeks to fight worthy opponents. Whether it's because he has at least some sense of honor, or just doesn't consider bystanders worth his time, I can't be sure."

Mizu crossed her arm. "When I fought him, he seemed to get a thrill from the fact that I was giving him a 'real fight'."

"That seems accurate to how he first fought us," said Roxas. "But that quickly turned to anger and frustration at his inability to beat us. As of now, he's not much of a threat to us. But I suggest you still keep your guard up. We have no way of knowing if and when he'll surprise us."

"Moving on," Mickey said as he changed the image to a man in a lab coat, and a mechanical drone floating next to him. "This is Doctor Mordred Durza. He is a crazed scientist, and brains behind Cult's operations. He seems to have an expertise in multiple areas, including technology. And he seems to have no regard for the dangers of whatever research he conducts."

"A mad scientist," Cassidy remarked. "Go figure!"

Terra continued. "This man had managed to steal valuable but dangerous research data. He rarely ever shows himself in person, opting to send one of his surveillance drones instead. The few times he does appear is usually when something in particular catches his interest."

"I did recently grab some new intel regarding him," Riku interjected. "Word is, Durza is working on some kind of...secret weapon for the Cult."

"Secret weapon?" asked Sora. "I don't like the sound of that."

"Unfortunately, I got nothing on what this secret weapon could be. The Cult is being tightlipped about it."

"Well, I guess it wouldn't be much a secret weapon if we already knew what it was," said Drake.

Roxas crossed his arms. "I'm more concerned about whether this is a mechanical weapon or a living one. We may have scene his mechanical creations, but I still wouldn't put passed him if it was the latter."

"Either way," said Mickey. "Despite never actually fighting us directly, there's no telling what this scientist is capable of."

Mizu shuddered. "Something tells me I don't want to know what kind of things he does."

"But now we move on to one of the two deadliest members of Evol's inner circle."

Image changed to that of a woman with robotic parts. Mizu had never seen this woman before, and yet somehow just looking at her sent an eery chill through her spine. She looked to her master and noticed that his fist and teeth were clenched and seemed to be trembling with anger at the sight of this image. However he seemed to calm down as soon as Riku put a hand on his shoulder.

"This is Abigail Striker," said Roxas. "As I'm sure you can tell, she's a cyborg. She's also a deadly assassin."

"An assassin huh?" said Drake. "I imagine those prosthetics would make it very difficult to sneak around. They look a bit heavy, and hard not to make noise with."

"As if that matters to her," Sora said with disdain. "She's not the kind of assassin who kills for money. She's the kind that kills for pleasure; for sport." He sounded as though he was trying his best to stay calm and hold back his anger. And while he kept himself from raising his voice, his tone made it clear that he didn't like this woman at all. Mizu looked at her master with concern. Her normally optimistic master showing genuine contempt. Something in the back of her mind told her that Sora had something personal against this Abigail.

"Geez," said Cassidy. "What exactly happened her to get that many robot parts?"

"Those were mostly our doing, believe it or not," said Terra. "Even with her Discord, she's always had the most fragile defenses. Unfortunately she's one slippery snake. No matter what kind of damage we do to her, she somehow manages to escape."

Riku continued. "She's a sadist who gets a rise out of inflicting pain on others, asserting her dominance over anyone weaker than her. And make no mistake, that arm of hers is well equipped with deadly weapons, those legs grant her impressive mobility, and that eye of her makes it difficult to hide from her. We're pretty sure Durza's the one who outfitted her with them all. Trust us when we say, if you ever encounter her, never turn your back on her."

Mizu shuddered again. "She sounds so scary."

"Fortunately, her tendency to toy with her prey instead of killing them outright has worked against her more than once," said Mickey. "Doesn't make her any less dangerous. And then we get to the last one."

The image then changed to a large muscular man. Mizu immediately clutched her heart in fear at the sight of him. She knew this man well. It was the same man who led the attack on her home, who killed her parents, and almost killed her too had it not been for her master.

_Relax, Mizu,_ called Angel, _it's only a projection._

_I know, but still..._

"This is Thaddeus Tomahawk," said Terra. "Arguably the mightiest of the inner circle, and said to be the closest to Evol herself. He is a stalwart warrior, and a ruthless commander."

"What's with his fashion?" asked Cassidy. "He has armor on all four limbs but none on his chest? He must really like showing off those tattooed pecs and abs."

"Don't let that seemingly obvious weak spot fool you," said Sora. "Remember what we said about Discord granting greater durability? Well, Thaddeus takes that to a whole knew level. Even if we succeeded in striking him in his exposed chest, it was literally impossible to lay so much as a scratch on him without Harmony. And even after we gained that power, he's been doing his hardest to keep his defenses fortified."

"Wow!" said Drake. "Talk about thick skinned. I supposed his exposed torso is just his way of flaunting that durability."

"But defense is not all he's got," said Roxas. "His physical strength is astonishing, and his power is very destructive. He's pretty much a steel wall with heavy cannons. He's definitely the most powerful of Evol's subordinates."

"He also commands the Heartless with cunning strategy," said Riku. "He has personally brought countless civilizations to ruin."

Mizu looked down fearfully. "L-like my hometown." Drake and Cassidy looked at her with empathy.

"Without a doubt," said Mickey, "he's the biggest threat next to Evol." The image then disappeared.

"So why is the Cult doing all this anyway?" asked Cassidy. "What do they even want?"

Riku crossed his arms. "We're not exactly sure what their motivation is other than they claim to be doing this in the name of their god, Chaos. All we really know is that their goal is apparently to extinguish all light in the universe. How exactly they plan to accomplish this is anyone's guess. We may not know what they really want, but whatever it is, you can guarantee it just can't be good."

Their was a pause to allow the teens to take all this in. Soon Mickey spoke, "Whelp, now that that's out of the way, we need to discuss what our next move should be, especially now that Mizu has the amulet."

* * *

**A/N: And I'll end it there, since this chapter once again turned out longer than I expected. I hope I did alright with the first impressions and character interactions. And I hope the first major exposition dump of the story was done well.**

**Man, three chapters of the same story in a row. I need to get back to my others projects.**

**Footnotes:**

**(1) Basically think of her surroundings as a fusion of her Dive into the Heart and the Final World.**

**(2) Latin for 'grass'.**

**(3) Both parts of her name are anagrams, I let you figure it out.**

* * *

**Changes from the original:**

***Villains: In the original, the primary antagonists actually consisted of Final Fantasy villains. They didn't have a set group name at first but I called them Dark Fantasy in my previous attempt at rewriting. These villains were Kefka Palazzo, Exdeath, Cloud of Darkness, and Golbez. I chose Kefka for his iconic status, and Exdeath and Cloud of Darkness because I thought they'd be fitting commanders for the Nobodies and Unversed respectively. As for Golbez, well I needed an overall leader, even though he'd turn out to be a puppet of the true villain. This time, however, I decided that it was probably for the best that I focus on OC antagonists, and any Final Fantasy villain I decide to include will be a side villain at best. There were four OC antagonists in the original, two of them were scrapped which I'll explain later when I talk about scrapped OCs, while the other two I'll talk about when they show up in the story.**

***Targeting Mizu: In the original, the aforementioned Dark Fantasy was after Mizu because they needed her pure heart along with the other six to complete a ritual. This time, however, the Cult of Chaos's goals have nothing to do with the Seven Princesses and the reason they're targeting Mizu is because as Lumina's chosen champion they consider her their greatest threat.**

***Adrian and Durza: So fun fact, these two OCs have actually been on the back burner for years. They were originally set to appear in a sequel to Keyblade Princess that I had planned to write but never got around to doing so. Why I decided to have them debut early, I won't say outside of feeling the need to make them more relevant.**

***Gauntlet of Discord: While Mizu's amulet was in the original story, Evol's gauntlet was not. When thinking through the plot of this rewrite, I decided that the Amulet of Harmony needed a Discord counterpart. And just like the amulet has its Celestial Stones, the Gauntlet of Discord has its own set of stones called the Abyssal Stones that are now being used to power the baddies up.**


	4. Harmonism

**A/N: Sorry about the wait, figuring out where I wanted to go with this chapter was tough. Special thanks to Kristen Verne for helping me move along.**

**Anyway, I'm sure some of you wanted to know a little lore behind Harmonism and the War of the Champions. Well you'll be getting the gist of it in this Chapter.**

* * *

**Harmonism**

* * *

Mizu, Lumina, Cassidy, and Drake were currently hanging out in the castle courtyard. After all that info pertaining to the Cult of Chaos, and their rather intimidating members, the teenagers decided to get some air and process what they learned while the Keyblade Masters discuss what to do next.

While Cassidy was practicing with her Rune Lance and Drake was fiddling with his Gummiphone, Mizu had decided to play on her ocarina for a bit, this time playing a more upbeat tune.**(1)** Her friends found themselves quite enjoying the melody.

"Wow!" exclaimed Cassidy as she trusted her spear at air. "You're pretty good with that ocarina!"

"Indeed," said Drake. "Who knew an apprentice Keybearer could also be a good musician in the making?"

Mizu smiled at the praise. "Thanks! I find playing on this thing very relaxing. It helps relieve some of my stress. I guess I kinda needed it after what we learned about the cult."

**"I don't blame you,"** said Lumina.

"So, Lumina," inquired the blue haired boy. "That thing you did to Cass and me earlier, was that you giving us the power of Harmony?"

The rabbit spirit nodded. **"As stated before, without Harmony coursing through your body, Discord is incredibly difficult to combat. And the Cult of Chaos and their Discord Heartless are no joke. I've spread Harmony to the Keyblade Masters, who have in turn spread it to their allies in order to fight them."**

"Nice!" exclaimed the green haired girl as she twirled her lance. "I bet we'll be kicking some major butt."

**"The level of control one will have over Harmony will vary from person to person, but at the very least it will passively augment your physical and magically ability. However, as the bearer of the Mark of Harmony, Mizu will be the only one capable of utilizing it to its full potential, especially since she has a Keyblade, one of the seven pure lights, and her new amulet."**

"Lumina!" the silver head blushed in embarrassment at such praise.

"Say Mizu!" Drake said as he put away his Gummiphone. "I was wondering about something. You never really told us about your Harmonist religion. And after hearing all that stuff about Harmony and Discord, I'm actually quite curious."

"Yeah," Cass added as she ceased practicing and rested her weapon. "I'm always up for an epic story."

Lumina looked at her master. **"Might as well. ****It may give them some insight."**

Mizu nodded. "Very well. There are several stories connected to Harmonism, but we'll cover the most important ones." She took a moment to gather her thoughts. "As you know, there are many worlds out there in the sea of stars. This was knowledge that was actually not uncommon among us Harmonists. Some of these worlds have their own pantheons of gods and goddesses overseeing them. But believe it or not, there is a pantheon that oversees the whole universe. This pantheon is led by two major deities: Cosmos, the Goddess of Light and Harmony, and Chaos, God of Darkness and Discord. This two deities were said to have been birthed by the heart of all worlds, Kingdom Hearts itself. They reside in the Spiritual Realm, a plane of existence inaccessible to any mortal, where the hearts of the deceased depart to rest. Any soul that wasn't caught in a limbo called the Final World, or taken to the depths of nothingness by the Lich Heartless, wound up in one of two places in the Spirtual Realm: Elysium, a place where good souls rest in peace and ruled by Cosmos, or Inferno, a place where wicked souls spend an eternity in endless torment and ruled by Chaos."**(2)**

"So basically heaven and hell," said Drake. "That's good to know."

Lumina took over. **"The gods have been around since before the first Keyblade wielders!**** Their original duties were to maintain the balance of light and darkness together. However the Keyblade War that divided all worlds also threw their influence out of whack. ****The two let the mortals of all worlds rebuild for a while. But once many of them got back on their feet, the gods disagreed on the fates of the mortals. Cosmos wished for them to bask in the light and live in peace and harmony, while Chaos wanted them to be filled with darkness and seek conquest. Unable to see eye to eye, and knowing that a fight between such powerful deities would only damage all realms even further, they decided to settle it by using the mortals of the Luminous Highlands, the only world that even remembered their existence. To that end, they each created a messenger to the mortal realm to choose a champion to represent them. Cosmos created me, Lumina, and I chose a humble knight named Cid Lufaine, and Chaos created his messenger, Shada, who chose a battle craving warrior named Garland."**

The silver head continued once again. "Cid was blessed with Cosmos's light, becoming first person to use the Power of Harmony, while Garland was gifted Chaos's darkness, becoming the first wielder of Discord. They each gathered their own armies, sharing their power with them, and fought numerous battles against each other, thus began the War of the Champions. There are several known adventures Cid and three of his most trusted allies had during the war. From rescuing a princess from Garland's grasp, to defeating his generals known as the Four Fiends."

Cassidy whistled. "Sounds like this Cid Lufaine was quite the hero."

"He was a legend, given the title Warrior of Light, and his order of knights became known as the Knights of Harmony." Mizu then looked at her incomplete amulet. "He and Lumina even sought the help of an alchemist to forge an artifact that would help boost his power and those of his allies: the Amulet of Harmony."

"Wow," said Drake. "So that's what your new amulet is?"

"Yes, although it's currently missing it's Celestial Stones. While amulet itself can increase the power of Harmony, I'm told that the Celestial Stones hold their own powers, capable of augmenting the abilities of the wearer and their allies. Supposedly, the Courage Emerald boosts speed, agility, and instinct, the Power Ruby boosts physical strength and durability, and the Wisdom Sapphire boosts magical prowess and perception. And then the Purity Diamond can bind the other three together and unlock the wearers full potential. I'm gonna need to find them before I even think about challenging Evol."

The blue haired mechanic thought for a second. "Does that thing happen to have a Discord counterpart?"

**"Actually yes!"** the spirit confirmed. **"Garland and Shada created a similar artifact called the Gauntlet of Discord, although the powers of its Abyssal Stones are quite different from the Celestial Stones. The Hate Topaz can convert anger into power, the Pain Garnet can inflict various forms of torture, the Terror Turquoise can cast illusions that are very real, and the Oblivion Onyx can drain the energy of others and turn it against them."**

"Yikes," said the green haired pilot. "Those sound tricky to deal with."

**"But back to the story, none of Cid's adventures compared to the final battle. ****Garland was seeking more power to crush his enemies once and for all, and went as far as wanting to obtain the power rivaling that of the gods. Using the Gauntlet of Discord's power, he was able to gather the negative energy generated by the conflict, until he transformed into an imitation of Chaos himself and began slaughtering friends and foes alike. It was a gruesome fight, but Cid and his three allies managed to power him down, before Cid and Garland ended up killing each other in a final duel. And unfortunately for the messengers, being bound to our champions and being heavily drained of our own powers during the battle, their deaths resulted in Shada and I being put into a deep slumber to regain our strength over time until ones with the right hearts awakened us once again."**

"Man!" said Drake. "That's really rough!"

**"While the battle ended in a draw as far as the champions were concerned, the war as a whole was won in favor of Cosmos, and Chaos admitted defeat. After the destruction the war caused, they both agreed to never again interfere with Mortal Realm, and let the mortals themselves decide their own fates. And with the spirits slumbering and the artifacts locked away, both Harmony and Discord eventually faded away. At some point other worlds manifested their own pantheons of deities, and while Cosmos and Chaos could observe these worlds, they agreed to let their respective pantheons govern them as they saw fit. They even left the souls of their worlds to their own afterlives, only collecting those from worlds that didn't have their own. Centuries have passed, and the stories of the Warrior of Light faded into legend."**

Mizu then looked up. "Cid died a hero. And his comrades honored him by keeping the Knights of Harmony alive to protect the Luminous Highlands from any threat. Over time, the worthy knights and mages would undergo trials to receive the holy light to become paladins and clerics. My own family has been part of the order for generations. As a matter of fact, we were always said to be descendants of Cid himself, something that Lumina confirmed to be true."

"Wow!" Cassidy beamed. "To have such a hero for an ancestor! And now you're basically his successor!"

"It's...overwhelming to say the least."

"So what kind of things do harmonists do?" asked Drake. "Are there any strict rules and rituals they follow?"

"Nothing too strict," the silver head answered. "Although the Knights of Harmony fight to defend the lands from monsters and other threats, Harmonists in general are peaceful people. We are taught to never judge anyone without an acceptable reason. And it is our policy to avoid conflict whenever possible. We always want to try and see the good in people whenever possible. At least, most of us do."

"Most of us?"

"There have been reports of some... overzealous Harmonists. These people either misinterpreted our goddess's will or take our faith to misguided extremes. I've heard some would abuse their own kin for not following their faith as strictly as them, and others who would demonize a person for the most minuscule of reasons, sometimes for reasons they had no control over."

Cass winced. "Geez, I guess even a peaceful order can have its extremists."

Mizu sighed. "Nothing is perfect, unfortunately. But these reports have been few and far between."

**"Some people just end up missing the point and going overboard,"** Lumina lamented.

"As for rituals, like I said, we don't strictly enforce anything and let each person or family worship Lady Cosmos however way they want. The most dedicated Harmonists, however, pray to our goddess at least three times a day, and gather at the local church to sing our praises once a week. We treat her as though she was our loving mother. We have a baptism ritual, where anyone from ages seven and up bath in a holy spring to be blessed with Cosmos's love. That is when we are considered officially part of the Harmonist family." The champion then looked at the sky. "I was so excited for my baptism, as my parents taught me so much about the faith, and I was eager to officially join. Who knew that mine would change my life in a lot more ways?"

"What do you mean?" asked Drake.

**"It was her baptism that awoke me from my slumber," **the spirit answered. **"You see, the Shrine of Cosmos, where the townsfolk of Mizu's home attend church, also housed my sleeping form. I would only awaken when a worthy soul, one with a particularly strong light, bathes in the shrine's spring. Being a Princess of Heart, holder of one of the seven pure lights, Mizu was pretty much guaranteed to do so. Personally, I never expected to be awoken by a child, but I am bound to her nonetheless, and it cannot be undone. Not that I mind though, as she's been great company and I actually learned to have fun thanks to her, something I didn't get to do while I was bound to Cid." **She then lowered her head as her wing-ears drooped. **"Unfortunately, it was that same day that the Cult of Chaos attacked. They sensed my awakening and sought to kill my chosen champion and put me back to sleep."**

Mizu closed her eyes as she clutched her heart. "My home town was destroyed, and my parents were killed. I would've been dead too had it not been for Master Sora. He saved me just in the nick of time and took me under his wing. He trained me to be a Keyblade wielder while we traveled, hiding ourselves from the Cult."

Cassidy winced. "That...is rough!"

"Understatement of the year!" replied Drake.

The sliver head sighed. "It...hasn't been easy. But I know I can't let it stop me. If I don't do my duty as the Champion of Cosmos, I would only dishonor those who died that night."

Lumina then floated onto her master's shoulder. **"And I'll be right here beside you, Mizu, every step of the way."**

Mizu smiled as she petted her spirit, "Thank you, Lumina."

_And don't forget, I'm here too,_ Angel said in her head.

The silver head mentally giggled. _Thank you, Angel._

The blue haired boy crossed his arms in thought before saying. "You said that Harmony and Discord both faded away until recent years. Harmony was brought back thanks to your awakening. If the cult has Discord than does that mean the other spirit has awoken."

The rabbit shook her head. **"If Shada had awoken, I would have sensed him, even in my slumber. It would appear that the Cult doesn't have their Champion of Chaos... at least not yet. The only other source of Discord in the Mortal Realm I know of is the gauntlet, so Evol must have gotten her hands on it."**

"Well good to know they're not as strong as they could be," said the green haired girl.

"I wouldn't consider that necessarily a good thing," replied the boy. "It just means they have potential to be even more dangerous than they already are. If the Guardians of Light were already struggling before, imagine adding the Champion of Chaos and Shada into the mix."

**"Indeed! Let's be thankful that for now we don't have to worry about it. Right now, the best course of action is finding the missing Celestial Stones."**

"I agree," said Mizu. "But where do we even start looking?" Suddenly, her amulet started flashing a blue light, drawing everyone's attention.

"Whoa!" exclaimed Cassidy. "What's it doing?"

**"It must be reacting to one of the Celestial Stones!" **exclaimed Lumina. **"One of them must be on this world!"**

"We'll that's convenient," said Drake. "But what now?"

Mizu looked at the Amulet and remembered what Father Christopher said about letting it be her guide. She took deep breath, and focused her thoughts on the amulet and the stone it was detecting. Soon a ball of blue light emerged from the trinket and started floating off. Wasting no time Mizu started running off after it, with Lumina flying behind.

"Hey! Wait up!" shouted Cassidy and she began to follow after them.

"Hold on!" shouted Drake. "Shouldn't we wait for the Guardians to finish their meeting?"

"Ah! Don't worry about it! Get your butt moving before we lose the trail!"

The boy groaned before following suit. "They're not be happy about us running off like this."

Little did any of them know, they were being watched by a flying drone above.

* * *

In a laboratory, Doctor Durza was putting the finishing touches on his next experiment. He attached a few cables onto the Terror Turquoise now embedded on his wrist. These cables extended to a machine which had another set of cable attached a figure strapped to a table. A raspy moan was uttered from the figure.

"That should do it," the mad scientist said as he turn to his subject. "Now then, let see if anything happens after channeling the very power of terror into your body."

The Turquoise then glowed with power before Durza flipped a switch. The cables powered up and transferred energy from the stone to the figure. The doctor was experiencing a hint of pain due to being attached to the stone, but that was nothing compared to what his subject was experiencing. The figure was wailing in pain as the power was being infused into it. Suddenly, something popped out of the figure's body, prompting the doctor to shut off the machine. At first, it appeared to be a puddle blue shadowy substance, until it morphed into a shadow-like creature with red eyes.

Durza smirked at this development. "Extraordinary!" he chuckled. "At last a sign that we are making progress! Perhaps I should request the others to lend you a taste of their Abyssal Stones later." He then noticed the figures arm twitching a little, and seemed to faded out for a second but then returned to normal. "Hmm... a slight malfunction? No matter. Probably just a minor glitch that should be fixable."

He turned to the creature that was spawned from his subject. It leapt up to attack him, only for him to pull out a gun and blasted it with a pulse wave, blowing it away. One of his drones flew in, launched a few cables which wrapped around the creature, restraining and shocking it, then carrying it to a capsule, sealing it inside.

Soon, a beep came from a computer. Durza pressed a button and a window displayed on the monitor, show Mizu on the move.

"Well, look what we have here. Perfect timing!" He then pressed a few more button and two more windows popped up, revealing still images of Thaddeus and Abigail each with an audio meter. "Good news! The Champion of Cosmos is within the vicinity of Disney Town!"

Thaddeus's voice sounded. "Excellent! Two birds with one stones!"

Then Abigail's voice sounded. "Oh, let me get a crack at the girl! Where it she?"

"She's on the move," said the doctor. "I'll send her coordinates to your cyber-eye. In the mean time, my weapons are on standby, ready to be unleashed once the attack starts."

"Good!" said Thaddeus. "Adrian and I are almost in position to begin the assault."

"Good hunting! And Abigail, do be careful with my equipment this time."

"Oh ha ha!" the assassin said begrudgingly. "Just be ready for when I deliver her head on a platter!"

With that, the transmission cut off. Dr Durza then turned back to his subject who groaned tiredly. "Soon, my dear, you will be the Cult's greatest asset!" He chuckled in delight.

* * *

Mizu and the others chased the blue light out of the castle grounds. The wandered through the town street until they exited the gates and into a nearby forest. They kept going through until they came across the bottom of a waterfall. The blue light soared into the waterfall and disappeared.

"That ball of light went into that waterfall," said Cass. "Now what?"

Drake examined the river, which looks too treacherous to swim in. He then looked at the waterfall closely. "I see a narrow pathway that leads inside."

With that, the three kids slide along the narrow path with their back against the wall, while Lumina floated above them. They made it inside to find a large cavity that seemed to be empty aside from some rocks.

"What happened to that ball of light?" asked the green head.

"I don't know," answered Mizu. "It just vanished."

"Now what? This place seems awfully empty."

**"It had to have brought us here for a reason," **said Lumina.

Drake started examining the walls with his hand. "There's gotta be something here." His hand then brushed against something that felt distinct. It appeared to be some kind of carving in the rock covered in damp dirt. Brushing the dirt off to get a better view he saw a familiar shape. "Hey Mizu, check this out! It looks just like your amulet."

Mizu approached the carving, taking note that her amulet flashed much more frequently the closer she got. Lumina perched onto her master's shoulder, as they both stared at it. The girl instinctively reached out and touched it, and the carving glowed a blue light. Suddenly the Champion and Spirit were shrouded in a blinding light that caused Cassidy and Drake to shield their eyes. When the light subsided, the two looked to find that Mizu and Lumina were gone, but the carving still glowed.

"What the hell?!" shouted Cassidy. "Where did they go?!"

Drake touched the carving again, thinking something might happen, but nothing did. "This thing must've transported them somewhere."

The green haired pilot then touched the carving herself and again nothing happened. "But where, and why isn't it working on us?"

The blue haired mechanic thought for a moment. "If I had to wager a guess, I'd say they were most likely transported to where they'll find the Celestial Stone, and that this thing only responds to the bearer of the amulet and Spirit of Harmony."

"So what do we do now?"

"I guess the only thing we can do is wait for them to get back."

"Ugh, you know I hate waiting around."

"Come on, Cass! Patience is a virtue."

"Not one of mine!"

"Let's just head back outside, get some air, and be on the look out for any Heartless."

* * *

Mizu and Lumina found themselves in a mysterious place. It seemed to be a white circular platform with three altars. These altars each had a blue crystalline object shaped like a sphere with large spikes on six sides.**(3)** And everything else was a blue void.

"Where are we?" asked the silver head.

**"I looks like that carving transported us to some kind of pocket dimension," **answered Lumina.

"Do you think we'll find the Celestial Stone here?"

_"You will," _called a voice. _"But obtaining it will not be that simple." _The duo look to find a translucent star, a Lost Soul. The star then morphed into the shape of an elderly man with a large beard, and dress in a robe and a pointed hat with star and moon pattern on it. The man then bowed. _"Greetings, Mizuhime Tenshi. It is an honor to finally meet a Champion of Cosmos. My name is Yen Sid."_

"Yen Sid?" asked Mizu. "As in Keyblade Master Yen Sid, who trained King Mickey? The great sorcerer who aided the Guardians of Light in their war against Xehanort?"

_"The very same," _said the fallen master.

"What are you doing here? And where are we?"

_"This is one of the pocket dimensions that I created to hide the Celestial Stones."_

**"You're the one who hid the Stones?" **asked the rabbit spirit.

_"Yes. A long time ago, I discovered the Amulet of Harmony and sensed a power unlike anything I had felt before. After studying what I could about Harmonism, I decided that the Amulet's power was too great to be out in the open. So I removed the stones and hid them in these pocket dimensions that only the bearer of the amulet can enter, to prevent their power from falling into the wrong hands."_

**"That does make sense. Unfortunately the guardians could've really used the full power of the amulet against the Cult of Chaos."**

Yen Sid sighed. _"I did not foresee my own end. In my lifetime, I always turned to the stars for guidance, and insight on current events and possible futures. Some messages I can read clearly, while other not so much. Before my demise, the stars gave me a message that a powerful darkness was approaching, a darkness amplified by the god of darkness himself. I knew that the Power of Discord was upon us. I had sent a message to the Guardians of Lights to come to my tower. I was planning to inform them of Harmonism, the Power of Harmony, and the Amulet. I even had the perfect candidate for the Champion of Cosmos." _

_I wonder who that would've__ been, _Angel seemed to mutter to herself in Mizu's head. The silver head got the sense that her guardian angel had a few guesses to who it could've been, but chose not to pry, believing it didn't matter now.

_"But before any of them could arrive, Evol Reficul herself somehow managed to enter my tower. She knew that my wisdom and insight was a threat to her conquest. Armed with the full power of the Gauntlet of Discord and her already powerful dark magic, even I was no match for her."_ He closed his eyes in shame._ "I... never had the chance to warn the Guardians, or point them in the right direction. And now they have payed dearly for my lack of foresight. Wouldn't be the first time I suppose."_

Mizu held her heart in fear. "Evol is that powerful? How are we supposed to compete with that."

The sorcerer looked at her with a firm gaze._ "Your best chance right now is to recover the stones I have hidden, but unfortunately it won't be that easy. To make sure the new Champion is ready to wield such power, I have set up a series of trials to prove their worth. Surrounding us are three portals that will transport you to a different section of this reality, each giving you a different test. This particular space houses the Wisdom Sapphire, and so you will be facing a Test of Intellect, a Test of Memory, and a Test of Value. Complete these three tasks, in any order you choose, and you'll be given one final test. Pass, and the Sapphire will be yours."_

The Champion felt nervous about these trials. She couldn't help but worry about failing, but at the same time she felt that she needed this. To her, this was just another way for her to prove to herself that she deserved her title. After a brief pause, she nodded. "I understand. I'll do my best, Master Yen Sid."

_"Good! Now go forth! The Trials of Wisdom await you!" _And with that, the ghostly sorcerer vanished.

Mizu looked at the altars as their crystal portals started glowing, beaconing her to come forward. She closed her eye and put her hands together to pray to her goddess for luck. She then approached one of the crystals and place her hand on it. A voice then sounded, **"****Are you ready to take the Test of Intellect?"**

The silver head hesitated for a second before answering, "Yes."

And with that Mizu and Lumina were transported to some kind of cavern.

The voice then returned. **"Not all problems can be solved through brute force. There are times when one must sharpen their mind to find the solution. Clear this cavern to pass the Test of Intellect."**

The Champion crossed her arms in thought. "The objective sounds simple, but something tells me there's more to this cavern."

**"I agree,"** said the rabbit spirit. **"So shall we proceed?"**

With a nod, Mizu began jogging through the cavern with Lumina flying behind her.

Soon they hit a road block, a wall of thick ice had blocked their path. The girl summoned her Keyblade and swung it at the wall a few times, barely making a scratch. "Wow, this ice is very thick."

**"Indeed,"** said Lumina. **"Well, this is your test. Any ideas?"**

Mizu giggled. "Well, it's obvious isn't it?" She then pointed her Keyblade at the ice. "**Fire!**" She then casted several fireballs at the wall, quickly melting a hole in the ice. "That was easy."

**"Keep your wits about you, Mizu. I doubt that's the only puzzle here."**

They continued through the cavern and soon another roadblock occurred. This time it a metallic wall that looked ancient. It had three large lucid gems adorning its center. Upon closer inspection, Mizu could see what appeared to be seams on the wall. "Look like some kind of door."

**"So it would seem."**

The girl tried to move the door open with her bare hands, but no matter which direction she push, it wouldn't budge. She crossed her arms in thought. "There's gotta be some way to open this." She looked around the area and noticed a three lucid orbs on top of posts that seemed to be made out of the same metal at the door, spread out from each other. She walked up to the nearest orb and examined it closely to find some kind of mechanism in it. Seeing the three orbs and the three gems on the door, Mizu surmised that she was supposed to do something with those devices. She had to turn them on somehow, but she didn't see a switch or anything.

Then an idea popped in her head, as she raised her Keyblade and called, "**Thunder!**" as a bolt of lightning struck the orb, which promptly glowed with electricity, and motors could be heard. She looked back at the door to see one of the gems glowing. She smirked at the progress, but then frowned when the gems dimmed again and the device she activated powered down. What was she supposed to do now? After thinking it over, she decided to try her thunder spell again, this time she decided to activate all three of them as fast as she could. She stood at the center of all three devices, before casted her spell again as each orb one after the other. She successfully activated them and all three gems on the door glowed and then the door finally open, slowly lowering and finally letting her pass.

**"Not** **bad!"** said Lumina. **"You're getting the hang of your spells."**

Mizu giggled. "Practice makes perfect."

The duo press onward until they came across a large gap on the ground. The pit was thankfully not too deep to the point where she could see the bottom, but the ledges were still too high to jump up. The gap was too far for her to jump across either. The walls were too treacherous to climb or wall run on, with the sole except of the wall that would take her back up to the ledge she was on in case she fell. They also noticed that there were many geysers shooting out from the bottom of the pit.

**"Well, this seems much trickier,"** the spirit said.

"Yeah," replied Mizu. "How am I supposed to get across?"

**"Well, while you figure it out, I'll just be over here." **Lumina then flew over to the other side of the pit.

"No fair, Lumina!" The girl pouted. "I can't fly like you can! And I haven't figured out Master Sora's gliding technique either."

Lumina giggled. **"Hey, it's your test, remember? I can't be holding your hand through it, now can I?"**

Mizu rolled her eyes before grabbing her chin. She spent a few minutes racking her brain on what she's supposed to do to get across. Her mind soon turned to the geysers. There had to be something she was supposed to do with them. She noticed they seemed to be bursting in a certain pattern. Analyzing this pattern, she noticed that some of them one after another formed a straight line to the other side. And soon it hit her. She readied her Keyblade, pointing it forward. She had to time this just right. "**Blizzard!**" she called as she shot out an ice projectile that generated an icy rail along its path. When reaching each geyser as it erupted, the spell froze the water, form more of the rail. Once it was finished Mizu quickly used the rail sliding technique her master taught her to grind along the icy rails across the pit, landing in front of her spirit companion.

**"See? I knew you could figure it out."** The spirit congratulated.

They look on and saw that a dead end with a blue crystal shaped like her Mark of Harmony. As they approached it, the voice returned. **"You will find that physical strength will not always get you through. You must also have a strong mind, not only to be smart in any situation, but also to raise your inner strength through magic. You have done well. Now touch the crystal to end this test."**

Mizu did as she was told, and the crystal glowed. And before they knew it, she and Lumina were transported back to the platform, the portal they had previously used was gone.

Mizu took a deep breath in relief before looking to her companion. "One down, two to go."

* * *

The Guardians of Light had finished their meeting and were ready to tell Mizu what they had decided on. But Mizu and the others were no longer in the courtyard so they decided to look for them. On there way out, Sora couldn't help but think about the decision they made and couldn't help but reminisce when he was made the girl's caretaker.

**-Flashback-**

_The Guardians of Light had gathered in the Radiant Garden Castle Library. Sora, Riku, Roxas, Terra, Donald, Goofy and Mickey were there. And the women were there as well, the blue haired Aqua, the blond haired Naminé, and the black haired Xion. They were speaking with the Spirit of Harmony, who had just finished explaining Harmonist gods and the situation._

_"Gawrsh," Goofy said somberly. "I can't believe something like that happened."_

_Naminé then put her hands up to her chest. "That poor little girl! I can't imagine what's she's going through."_

_"And to think," Roxas said as he crossed his arms, "if we only had the Power of Harmony sooner, our friends could've been saved."_

_Donald turned to Mickey. "Do you think Master Yen Sid knew about this?"_

_"Golly, I can't say for sure," the mouse said. "Maybe...this was what he was planning to talk to us about before he fell."_

_"But the Champion of Cosmos..." said Xion, "that's an awfully heavy burden to place on a child."_

**_"It was not my intention to do so," _**_said Lumina. **"But unfortunately it's already been done."**_

_"And there's nothing you can do about it?" asked Sora._

_**"I'm afraid not. ****Once the bond has been made, it cannot be undone. I cannot change Champions on a whim."**_

_ The Hero of Light looked over to the desk where Mizu sat on a chair, looking down depressed. Next to her sat a girl a few years older than her with short brown hair. She seemed to be trying to comfort the silver head, but with little to no success. There was also a boy few years younger than Mizu with short blond hair. He seemed to be drawing stars and moons on a piece of paper. They were within earshot, but gave no indication they were listening to the conversation, though Sora was betting that they were._

_"I guess all we can do is protect her and make sure she is ready face the Cult," said Terra._

_"We should bring her to the Land of Departure," said Aqua. "She could train in the art of the Keyblade alongside Herba." The brown haired girl seemed to perk up at this idea, only to frown at the next thing that's said._

_"I don't think that's a good idea," said Riku. "Mizu has become the Cult's primary target. Young or not, they see her as their greatest threat. Who knows the lengths they will go to find her and kill her? Keeping her in one spot for an extended period of time is a bad idea."_

**_"I__ agree," _**_said the spirit. **"Until she is ready to face them herself, she needs to be kept in hiding. Our best bet is to keep her on the move."**_

_"But then who should be her guardian," asked Mickey. "Not only do we need someone who can not only keep her safe, but also train her to defend herself."_

_The group thought for a moment before Goofy said, "Hey, what about Sora?!"_

_Sora seemed taken aback by this. "M-me?"_

_"Are you crazy, Goofy?" asked Donald. "What does he know about teaching?"_

_"Well, I just figured that since he is the best out of everyone here, he'd be the obvious choice."_

_Naminé giggled. "I don't see why not! His track record for stopping bad guys and defending the innocent speaks for itself."_

_The hero scratched his head. "I-I don't know. Donald has a point, I don't know anything about teaching. I mean, I'm self-taught when it comes to fighting."_

_"Don't forget," said Aqua, "Terra and I gave you guys proper lessons the first chance we got after Xehanort's defeat."_

_"Besides," said Terra, "all you have to do is let your experiences speak for you. I'm sure you'll figure out a how to teach in a way that not only suits you, but a way she'll pick up on it, no problem."_

_Sora was about to protest, when he felt something grab onto his leg. He looked down to see Mizu herself clinging to him desperately. She looked up at him with pleading eyes._

_Riku couldn't help but chuckle at the sight. "Looks to me like she wants you to be her guardian, Sora." _

_Roxas smirked. "And I think as the Champion, she should have a say in who she goes with."_

_"Aww," Xion cooed. "She wants to be with her hero. Isn't that cute?"_

_Sora couldn't help but stare at the now orphaned girl. For a moment he saw an image of a red haired girl flash in his mind. And now his heart was telling him what to do, and he just couldn't ignore it. He took a deep breath before saying. "Okay...I'll do it."_

**-Flashback End-**

Sora had really grown fond of the girl over the years and trained her as best as he could. He did find it surprising how well she took to his lessons, even though he barely knew what he was doing. Regardless, he cherished every moment with his apprentice. What he was about to ask of her was going be hard, but also necessary for her growth.

His thoughts were interrupted when the earth suddenly shook.

"What was that?" asked Roxas.

As if to answer his question Discord Heartless started appearing all over the town streets.

"Discord Heartless!" shouted Terra.

"So the Cult of Chaos finally got the nerve to attack my home!" said Mickey.

Riku then ran up a building to get a better view. "And it looks like they're serious too, I think see some of Durza's toys running amok!" he shouted as he spot a lot of the doctor's surveillance drones flying around shooting laser blasts, as well as large four-legged walkers with shooting laser cannons. One building after another was getting destroyed. Civilians were running around in a panic.

King Mickey clutched his fists and turned to his subordinates. "Donald! Goofy! Gather as many troops as you can and launch an immediate counterattack and help get civilians to safety!"

"You got it, Your Majesty!" they both shouted before storming off.

"Roxas! Find a good location and start summoning 'reinforcements'!"

"I'm on it!" Sora's former Nobody ran up to the rooftops.

"Terra! You focus on those walking tanks! Try to minimize the damage they do!"

"Got it!" the muscle man dashed through the streets.

"Riku! You get in front lines and support whatever district needs it!"

"Alright!" the Warrior of Dawn leapt across the rooftops.

"Sora! Find Mizu and make sure she's alright! Odds are they know she's here! Give her the instructions, then join the fight!"

"Right!" the Hero of Light replied. "What about you, Your Majesty?"

"Someone has to defend the Cornerstone of Light. The Heartless may not be able to enter the castle, but with the Cult you can't be too careful."

Sora nodded as the King darted back to the castle. He then ran into town to begin his search. "Mizu! Please be safe!"

* * *

**A/N: And there you have it. I hope you all liked the lore.**

**Footnotes:**

**(1) I picture her playing Sora's theme this time.**

**(2) I based the naming of the two afterlives off of the _Soul Calibur_ series, namely the spirits of the two opposing swords, Soul Calibur's Elysium and Soul Edge's Inferno.**

**(3) Basically think of those portals from KHDDD and KH3.**

* * *

**Changes from the original:**

***Celestial Stone Collecting: In the original, prior to events of the story, the Keyblade Masters randomly found three out of the four stones, and not knowing their true nature, they hid them in ethereal obstacle courses, and at the end they themselves challenge Mizu to a duel before giving her the stone they're guarding. Thinking about it nowadays, it doesn't make much sense to them to deliberately halt her progress in attaining the stones in such dire circumstances. They had the ability to just give the stones to her, so you'd think just doing so upon realizing their connection to her amulet would've been more practical. So for this version, I decided to remove any involvement from the Guardians in hiding them, as well as making the trials to obtain them more than just generic obstacle courses.**

***Yen Sid: In the original, Yen Sid never made a single appearance, nor do I recall ever mentioning him. Since I had started writing the original sometime after KH2's release and thus I didn't think his role as a guide to the heroes would be expanded on in other games, I wasn't sure what to do with him at the time, so in the end I left him out. For this version, I decided to have him killed off prior to the events of the story, because I'm pretty sure its unrealistic to think that the Guardians would be having this much trouble with the Cult of Chaos while he's around to provide them with wisdom and insight, and even point them in the right direction to the means of combating them. So I had it so that the first thing the Cult did that garnered the Guardians' attention was to dispose of him before he had a chance to provide them with the crucial information. And it was just during the writing of this chapter that I decided to have it so that Yen Sid was the one who hid the Celestial Stones and set up these trials in the first place.**

***Terra, Aqua, and Ventus: Only Aqua showed up in the original version of my story. Since Birth by Sleep came out during the original's writing, she ended up showing up late into the story, while Terra and Ventus didn't show up at all. The reason being I wasn't sure what Terra and Ventus's fate were going to be come KH3, and Aqua was the only one I was certain was going to come out all right. In that story, she served as the master of three OCs, who have been scrapped in this version. Now both Terra and Aqua are training their own daughter, Herba. As for Ventus...well...**

***Sora and Mizu's relationship: In the original, Sora did rescue her once as a kid, but didn't see her again until she was older since her tragedy didn't happen until then. I wanted Sora to be like a surrogate father to her, but in hindsight, I don't think I did a good job at that, especially considering those two hadn't actually spent enough time together to be that close, with only thing tying them together is subconscious connection due to [spoiler], and that alone would've been kinda weak. In this new version, they've spent 8 years together, and as such a surrogate father-daughter relationship becomes more plausible and I'm planning on making more flashbacks on their time together to flesh it out more.**


	5. Wisdom Sapphire

**A/N: Tried to get this out before New Years, but procrastination really kicked my butt. Before we get start, a couple of notes I wanna address.**

**So anyone else getting problems with the PM notifications? My page still tells me when I get new PMs, but I don't receive any emails notifying me of said PMs. I still get email notifications for new chapters and reviews, but not PMs for some reason. If more people are noticing this, then they really needs to fix that. Fortunately I'm almost always monitoring Fan Fiction so it's not too big a problem for me. And if your experience this too, you might wanna check more often until this technical issue is fixed.**

**And I need to rant for a moment but I'm getting VERY frustrated with Deviantart right now! I was switched to this new Eclipse version without my consent, and ever since I've been facing MAJOR TECHNICAL PROBLEMS! Images won't show, and many options refuse to work period. I click on certain options and LITERALLY NOTHING HAPPENS! I can't even post anything new on the site! Even the option to switch back to the old version doesn't work! I've had my share of minor issues that only last a few days, but this has been going on for over a month now! I really don't know why this is happening! It could be my computer, or my internet browser, but this is just ticking me off! Oddly enough, Stash and DA Muro seem to be working just fine, be I haven't dared try post anything saved in there! I'm hoping this gets fixed eventually, but something tells me it might not happen until I get a new computer!**

**But in other news I am very excited for the Kingdom Heart III Re Mind DLC coming out next week. Not sure if I'll be able to get it right away, but I still can't wait.**

* * *

**Wisdom Sapphire**

* * *

Mizu touched the second portal, the one that led to the Test of Memory, and she and Lumina found themselves in some kind of dungeon. Soon the mysterious voice spoke once again.

**"Memory can often be the key to solving a problem. Ahead of you is a labyrinth of many differing paths. Clear the maze to pass, but be forewarned, one wrong turn and you will have to start over. The mural next to you shows the layout of the maze as well as important clues you'll need. Study it carefully before you proceed."**

"A maze?" aske Mizu. "And one I can't afford to make a wrong turn?"

**"Looks like you really have to memorize where you're going in order to pass," **Lumina commented.

The girl looked up at the ceiling. "It's too bad there's no way to have you observe the maze from above with that ceiling covering the labyrinth."

**"Now that would've been too easy, would it?"**

"Touché." Mizu then looked at the mural to find that the Maze was pretty big. She studied the mural as hard as she could. When she touched her finger on the blueprint to see if she could trace a path, she was surprised to see that she was leaving a mark on it and she traced. And when she traced back, the mark disappeared._ This should make the correct path easier to memorize. _It took a while, but she managed to draw a path from one end to the other. She studied the path as best as she could.

After deciding she gazed into it enough, she took a swing at it, jogging in with Lumina on her shoulder. She made the first few turns easy enough, until she made one uncertain turn and suddenly found herself shouting in terror as the floor beneath her collapsed, and she fell into a bottomless pit. She blacked out for a short moment and came to right back at the start of the maze unharmed.

"Wow!" The champion said as she shook out of her daze. "They weren't kidding about starting over after one wrong turn."

The spirit looked back at the mural. **"At least the path you drew is still there."**

After reexamining the mural, Mizu tried again. She had a better time until she found a close door.

"What the!" Mizu exclaimed. "This wasn't on the mural. Now what?" She noticed a set of five orbs in front of it. She touched one of them, and it glowed a blue light. She touched it again and it turned a different shade. And another shade after a third touch, and then back to the first shade after a fourth. Mizu racked her brain as to what she was supposed to do, when the orb she turned on, started flashing until suddenly a bright light enveloped her, and she was back at start again. "What? What happened? What was I supposed to do?"

**"Better check the mural again,"** suggested Lumina.

The silver head did just that. She looked on to try to figure out what she missed, when she quickly noticed something to the side of the maze. Three sets of five circles each lined up horizontally, and the color of each circle varied from three shades of blue, the same shades that orb was switching between. "Well, I'm an idiot," she lightly chastised herself. "They literally told me there were important clues to keep in mind, and I missed this. This must be the clues to the doors in this maze. I'm supposed to make the orbs at each door a certain set of colors to open them."

**"Don't beat yourself over it. It's easy to overlook certain things."**

After studying the maze and the circles carefully, Mizu took another shot. When she came to the first door again, she tried lighting all five orbed the correct colors and the door opened. After that, it was smooth sailing, only making a mistake one other time, and that was it. She reached the last door, and open it to fine the crystal straight ahead.

Mizu wiped the sweat off her forehead. "Whew! That was a brain teaser."

**"Good job, Mizu!"**

**"Those who forget past mistakes are often doomed to repeat them. And often times, it takes remembering an important detail to figure out how to press on. You must commit as much information as you can to memory, as it could save your life one day. Well done!"**

With that, Mizu walked up to the crystal, ending the test.

* * *

Roxas was leaping across the buildings, slaying whatever Heartless or enemy drone that got in his way. When it was calm in his immediate vicinity, he looked around the building he was on.

"This should do it," he said as he slammed his palm onto the roof and a large sigil that resembled a white upside down heart with a few thorn-like protrusions appeared. "Alright, I think I set up enough summoning glyphs. Now time to activate them."

The Dual Keyblade Master began waving his hands around as the glyphs he laid out began glowing brighter. As he was doing this, a bunch of Armored Knight Heartless appeared on the same rooftop. They approached him slowly as he clapped his hands together. One of the Heartless leapt up with its sword and dove toward Roxas...only for it to be sliced in two by a white creature carrying swords and coated in a gold aura. After that more white creatures with gold auras appear, including ones with elastic limbs, and floating flowery ones with scythes.

The white creatures called Nobodies, empty vessels who had their hearts stolen whose wills were strong enough to act on their own, had taken a liking to the former Nobodies that commanded them in the past, Roxas especially. After the fall of Organization XIII, the creatures had been left with nothing, and with their lack of purpose and true emotions, they felt only a desire to serve a master. As such they had become more than willing to serve the former members of their old masters as they're needed. They have proven useful from time to time, especially against Discord Heartless after they figured out how to power them with Harmony. Unfortunately, while they are generally stronger, Nobodies are much less common than Heartless, and because of that it's very difficult to summon a sufficient number of them whenever they wanted. And so for the war against the Cult of Chaos, they've opted to only summon Nobodies when the situation calls for them.

The Samurais, Dusks, and Reapers all slew the Discord Heatless, and the Harmony Nobodies from every summoning glyph placed in the city rooftops scattered across the battlefield.

With his work done, Roxas summoned his Oathkeeper and Oblivion Keyblades and charged into the fray.

* * *

Adrian stood on one of the rooftops, Bleeding Rage sword in hand, watching as the Disney Castle Guard struggled against the invaders. Only when the Harmony Nobodies started assisting them that they started putting up a decent fight.

The boy just grunted in disgust. "How pitiful! These losers aren't worth my time!"

He turned to leave the area when a Berserker Nobody landed in front of him. It swung is hammer-sword at the boy, who blocked with his sword and was knocked back. He then attacked back, clashing with the Nobody several times before he blasted it in the face with a dark fireball and subsequently sliced it in the shoulder. It staggered back a little, but quickly retaliated by shrinking its body to expand its sword, and then leapt high and came crashing onto Adrian. It then started bashing him into the ground repeatedly before whacking him into a wall. Before he could regain his bearings, a bunch of Dusks ambushed him and began piling on top of him.

Soon a dark glow shown from within the pile as the Nobodies were blasted off of the boy with a loud shout. The Hate Topaz on his scarred shoulder was glowing as he was coated in a dim yellow aura mixed with dark mist. The Berserker leapt to attack him again, but Adrian let out a shout as he swung his blade now channeling the Topaz's power and sliced right though its hammer-sword and cut the Nobody in half. The Dusks attempted to pile on his again, only for him to spin around with his sword and unleash a wave of dark explosions around him with yet another shout, destroying them.

Once the coast was clear, the aura died down and Adrian grabbed his shoulder in slight pain. He looked at the Topaz with awe. _So this is the Power of Hate,_ he thought. He had to admit, that rush of power coming from his new Abyssal Stone felt exhilarating. The urge to use it again was hard for him to resist. _But enough using it on disposable husks. Let's REALLY test this thing!_

With that, he leapt off the rooftops to find suitable prey.

* * *

Mizu and Lumina entered the Test of Value and found themselves in a place much different from the previous tests. They seemed to be on top of a stone structure surrounded by waterfalls. The blue sky, some trees, the sound of birds chirping. It was quite the peaceful scenery. They noticed that there where three blue translucent stars floating on the platform. Were they Lost Souls? Interestingly, each star had a Keyblade or two stabbed into the ground next to it. Before they could question it, the voice returned.

**"What is your reason for fighting? It is a question one must ponder as a step towards realizing one's true potential. At times one must look inside oneself and reevaluate one's values and priorities. What do you value most that is worth fighting for? These Lost Souls will each ask you a question based on your values. Answer them as truthfully as you can."**

"Questions?" asked Mizu. "As in personal questions?"

**"Sounds like it,"** answered Lumina. **"But don't worry about it. Just be true to yourself when you answer them and I'll bet you'll be fine."**

"Okay." The silver head let out deep breath before approaching the first Lost Soul. This was the only soul that had two Keyblades instead of one. One looked like it was designed to be easily wielded in reverse, what with the handle not being aligned with the shaft. It had a dull gold guard, a dark grey shaft, and the teeth having a wing like shape. The Keychain token is a green gem with two silver flurries of wind spiraling around it. The other Keyblade, had an appearance Mizu found hard to describe in simple words outside of its mixtures of blacks, yellows, and blues.**(1)**

When Mizu approached the Soul, a flash of light occurred and the star was replaced with a young man sitting on the ledge with his back turned. He had spiky blond hair, s black and white outfit, and a pauldron on his left shoulder. The man's hairdo made the girl immediately think he looked just like Roxas, but she quickly realized there was something different about him.

Without even turning around, the man spoke, _"What is the one thing you cherish more than anything else?"_

Mizu was confused when suddenly three possible answers were implanted into her mind, as if beaconing her to choose between them: _1) My Faith! __2) My loved ones! __3) My family lineage! _She did not expect it to be multiple choice. She found herself a bit conflicted. She cherished all three of these things almost equally highly. How was she supposed to choose just one? After a minute, she realized she had to figure out which one she'd prioritize over the others. She crossed her arms as she contemplated each answer.

She was proud of her lineage, being a descendant of the previous Champion, and her family being part of the Knights of Harmony for generations. She wanted to do her best to honor that legacy. But thinking about it, she couldn't help but question if lineage really defines her as a person.

Her Harmonist Faith was something she held true to her heart. She believed in the will of her goddess with all her heart. She had to wonder what Lady Cosmos or even Lumina would think of her if she didn't choose her Faith. But then is it really right to answer that just to pander to someone else?

Then she thought of her loved ones. She thought about her late parents and the Head Priest Christopher, and how sad she felt when she lost them. And she thought about Lumina, her Master Sora, her guardian Angel, and all the friends she made since the disaster, and how they helped fill hole in her heart. They all really made her feel warm inside. Heck, now that she thought about it, she supposed she could count Lady Cosmos as a loved one, as remembering what she was taught about the goddess's love, as well as praying to her as often as she could always helped her feel better despite her loss.

With that in mind, she finally had her answer. "My loved ones!"

The young man then turn his head toward her, revealing more of his Roxas-like features. "Loved ones..." he said with a smile. "That's a really great thing to have." And with that another flash of light and he was gone, even his Keyblades. Mizu was confused as to what happened to him, but decided not to question the test.

The rabbit spirit then decided to speak. **"You looked like you were really racking your brain there. Are you alright?"**

"I'm fine," Mizu replied. "Multiple different answers just popped into my head after he asked that question. I...have to confess, one of the options I was given was 'My Faith'. I hope you or Cosmos aren't mad at me for not picking it."

Lumina couldn't help but giggle. **"While I appreciated your concern for our feelings, you really have nothing to worry about. Lady Cosmos isn't one to hold grudges, and would certainly not hold it against you for choosing your loved ones over your religion. In fact, our goddess actually prefers her followers to live as their own individual people and think for themselves. As for me, I've known you for a long time, and I can understand why they mean that much to you. Besides, I know for a fact that you include me and the goddess among your loved ones, so I'd say no harm done."**

The Champion couldn't help but smile at her spirit companion's words. "Thank you, Lumina."

She then approached the next Lost Soul. The Keyblade next to this one looked like it had a red chakram for a guard and a stream of fire for the blade which swirled to form the teeth. Its Keychain token looked like a smaller silver chakram. Another flash and the star was replace by a man leaning in back on a pillar, again facing away from Mizu. He looked older than the previous one. He had fire red hair that had much longer spikes than Master Sora, and he wore black.

Without looking he spoke. _"__What are you so afraid of?"_

Like before, three options popped into her head: _1) Losing those that I care about! __2) __Letting my worst enemies have their way! __3) Disappointing my goddess! _She honestly was surprised a certain person wasn't on the list. But considering the options she was given, she guessed that fear of a specific person or thing was not what this test was looking for. Regardless these answers were tough to choose from, as they all seemed to play on her anxieties in all this.

Disappointing her goddess was definitely something she didn't want to do. Even after the tragedy, she was a devoted Harmonist. She counted herself lucky that the Guardians of Light were able to salvage some of the Harmonist scriptures from the disaster so that she could learn as much as she could about her faith. The thought of letting Cosmos down, especially as her chosen champion, was heart wrenching.

Letting her worst enemies have their way was pretty obvious. If the Cult of Chaos were allowed to continue their campaign, countless people would suffer at their hands. And as the Champion of Cosmos, it was her duty to fight the forces of Discord. If she were to fail at stopping them, she didn't think she'd be able to live it down.

Then she thought about losing those she cared about. She already lost people in her hometown's calamity, and it felt like having her heart torn to pieces. All the new people she met over the years since then had put those pieces back together, and she was grateful for them. But the thought of losing them too? She didn't believe she could bear that pain again. Yeah, the last thing she wanted was to lose everything all over again.

Having decided, she answered, "Losing those I care about!"

The man turned to the girl, showing his green eyes. "Losing those you care about..." he said as he gave her a sympathetic smile. "Can't blame you for that." And just like before, he and his Keyblade vanished in a flash of light.

Mizu sighed in relief as her rabbit spirit approached. **"A very understandable fear."**

"I'll admit, at first I was expecting to have to answer a specific thing...or person, not a concept."

**"Personal fears can be overcome. Fear of loss is a broader concept... and those types of fears almost never go away."**

The girl nodded in understanding before turning to the last Lost Soul.

The Keyblade next to this one had an indigo guard that somewhat resembled Sora's Kingdom Key in shape, a gold shaft, and three indigo and gold shooting stars, one as the teeth, one with two opposite tails at the base of the shaft, and one as the keychain token. The lost soul then turned into a young woman staring into what looked like a natural spring. She had long raven hair, and wore white shirt under a black vest and a dark gray skirt.

Soon she spoke. _What do you wish?_

This time the answers that popped up were:_ 1) __To prove to myself that I'm worth something! __2) To fulfill my duty as the Champion of Cosmos! __3) __To protect what's precious to me! _This was a tough one. All three of this things were something Mizu wished to accomplish so much. How was she to choose this time?

Being the Champion of Cosmos was a very high honor among her people. And as the chosen one, she wanted so much to fulfill her role, so she could honor her ancestor's legacy, and make Lady Cosmos proud of her. And fighting against the forces of Discord, the Cult of Chaos, was the best way to go about that.

Proving her worth was also a big deal for her. One thing she had always struggled with was her self confidence. Losing your home and love ones and almost getting killed yourself could do that to you. But she didn't want to be a burden to anyone. She desperately wanted to prove not only to others but to herself that she could follow in her parents' footsteps, that she could be the champion she needed to be, that choosing her was not a mistake, and most importantly... that she was worth saving.

As she thought about protecting what's precious to her, a realization dawned on her. Her reasons for her answers to the previous questions also applied to this answer. She cherished her loved ones so much and she didn't want to lose them. Why wouldn't she want to protect them? She then remembered something her master told her, that he always drew strength from the bonds he makes with others, and that his wish to protect those he bonds with was what always kept him going, no matter what his objective was.

With all that in mind, her answer turned out to be obvious. "To protect what's precious to me!"

The girl turned to the Champion, showing her brown eyes. "Protecting what's precious to you..." she gave her a gentle smile. "That is a very noble goal indeed." And with that, the last Lost Soul and Keyblade vanished.

**"She's right, you know," **Lumina commented.

Mizu giggled in response. "Just following Master Sora's example."

Soon the voice returned. **"You cherish your loved ones. You're afraid of losing those you care about. You wish to protect those precious to you. You value the wellbeing of others more than your own, a noble quality in a holy knight and Keyblade wielder. And while you value other things just as much, you answered with certainty where your priorities lie. Hold true to your beliefs as you move forward, for in the end that is where your inner strength will come from."** And with that, the voice was gone. And a crystal appeared in middle of the platform.

"Strange," said Mizu. "I feel like this test wasn't as stressful as I made it out to be."

**"Well, the point of this test seemed to be to reevaluate your priorities, and you had to think real hard to figure out what comes first for you."** Lumina then perched on top of Mizu's head. **"You know, I bet Lady Cosmos would be proud of the answers you gave."**

"You really think so?"

**"Of course! I think the answers you gave are exactly the kind of mindset the Champion of Cosmos should have, one that puts the needs of other before your own."**

The girl giggled, "Thank you, Lumina." She then looked around at the spots the Lost Souls were. "Still...those Lost Souls...I can't help but wonder what happened to them."

**"The fact that all three of them appeared to be Keyblade wielders and one of them looked identical to Roxas...somehow I don't think that's a coincidence."**

Mizu nodded in agreement before she heard Angel mutter to herself, _They were such good people,_ with a hint of sadness. The silver head got the sense that she new these people, but once again chose not to pry. She just touched the crystal, ending the test.

* * *

Drake and Cassidy were sitting outside of the waterfall, waiting for Mizu to return. Both were passing the time in a different way. Drake was tinkering with a device in his hands, while Cassidy was playing a starship rail shooter game on her Gummiphone.

"Any idea when she'll be back?" asked Cassidy.

"Can't say for sure," answered Drake. "Let's hope not too long. The Keyblade Masters are probably wondering where we are." He then finished tightening a screw and set the device down. It was bronze plated with a white Z-27 painted on the side and a camera lens. "All right, little guy. Let's boot you back up." He then press a couple buttons near the camera. A blue light lit up and it started floating. He then pulled out his Gummiphone and starting fiddling with it. Soon the screen started displaying what the drone was seeing. "Looks like your systems are running smoothly."

The emerald haired pilot finished the level she was on and paused her game. "You and your need to tinker with that drone."

"Hey, if I don't give him regular maintenance, he could break down without warning."

"You sure like to talk to and about your toys as if they were alive."

"Sorry if you think treating my own creations as if they were children is weird. I'm still learning how to program artificial intelligence."

"If you say so."

The blue haired mechanic then fiddle with his phone and the drones began to ascended into the air, until it was above the trees. The drone then began rotating as he watched the screen. "Displays looking good, as are the camera controls." He then winced as the screen displayed an unsettling sight. "Oh crap!"

"What is it?"

"Disney Town! There's a lot of smoke coming from it. Not to mention flashing lights and explosions."

Cass put away her phone. "That doesn't sound good."

Suddenly, Drake's phone started ringing. The boy answered it and the display showed Sora. "Drake!"

"Master Sora?" said Drake. "We just saw smoke coming from the town, what's going on?"

"The Cult has launched an invasion. Discord Heartless are everywhere, as well as Durza's robots! Where are you guys!?"

"Mizu's amulet kinda led us to the outskirts of town. We think it was reacting to one of the Celestial Stones. We were brought to a waterfall north of the town. We found a carving that matched her amulet, and when she touched it, she and Lumina just..." the boy hesitated, "kinda...disappeared..."

"What!"

"P-probably to where the stone is, I-I'm sure she'll return soon! We're still waiting for her right by the waterfall."

Sora sighed. "Alright! Hang tight! I'll be there soon!"

"Um, Drake..." Cassidy pointed toward the trees where a bunch of Discord Heartless were appearing.

Drake looked at the Heartless before speaking onto his phone again. "You might wanna hurry, because we have company." He then hung up, and summoned his Magitek staff. "Let's hope the Power of Harmony Lumina gave us doesn't fail."

Cass summoned her Rune Lance, which she twirled in excitement. "Oh yeah! Time for us to kick butt!" As the Heartless surrounded them, she began charging energy into the head of her spear. She then leapt high into the air and called, "**Falcon Dive!**" as she trusted down, skewering a Lance Soldier into the ground and unleashing a shockwave that blasted the closest Heartless to her upon impact. She then began swinging her spear, swiping and stabbing at every Shadow that came at her. Suddenly another Lance Soldier began flying around like crazy carried by its living lance, and striking her from her blindspot several times, before she finally managed parried it, knocking the Heartless off balance. She then swept her spear at its legs, tripping it onto the ground, before impaling it. She then saw more Heartless charging at her. She smirked as she gathered energy into the head of her spear. "**Sonic Joust!**" she shouted as she trusted her lance forward at blinding speed, running through several Heartless and blowing others away in the shockwave.

Meanwhile, Drake gathered his magic and pointed his staff. "**Blizzara!**" he shouted as he unleashed a gust of ice, freezing a bunch of Heartless. A Shadow then flanked at him from the right. Once he spotted it getting too close, he gathered magic into his staff's gem, causing it to glow, before swiping at the creature, dispatching it. He then found himself dodging a few ice chunks from two Blue Rhapsodies. He pointed at them and shouted, "**Fira!**" and he launch two consecutive fireballs, blasting both Heartless into ash. He then got blasted from behind, knocking him off his feet. He turn to see a Cannon Gun charging up another shot. Thinking fast, he raise his staff and shouted, "**Magic Arrow!**" and conjured a magic projectile that darted toward the Heartless and into its energy charging nozzle. Upon impact, the monster exploded, blasting any nearby Heartless away.

The duo continued to take out the Heartless, while also taking a few hits themselves, as neither were used to dealing with the Discord variety. They found themselves having to watch each other's backs from time to time, such as Drake freezing a Red Nocturne about to shoot a fireball at Cass, or Cass throwing her spear at Hammer Frame about to slam itself onto Drake. It went on for a while until the monster were finally cleared out.

Both panted with exhaustion. "Wow," said Drake, "so those were the Discord Heartless."

"They put up a decent fight," said Cassidy. "But they were no match for us."

The blue haired mechanic raised his staff as he called, "**Cura!**" and a green light healed bother their wounds in seconds. "Don't get cocky, Cass. If that's the kind of enemies we're gonna be dealing with, we're gonna have to remain vigilant."

"Yeah, yeah!" The green haired complained. "Whatever you say!"

"Let's rest up, but keep our eyes open in case more show up. Shouldn't be much longer before Mizu gets back."

Little did the two know, that they were both being watched by certain cyborg.

* * *

Mizu and Lumina found themselves in a large white circular platform in surrounded by an endless blue void. On the platform was a blue mural of a turtle.

Soon the voice returned. **"Well done, bearer of the Amulet of Harmony.****"** Then the mural glowed as a blue mist began gathering in front of the duo. It took the shape of a ghostly turtle, not dissimilar to the mural. **"****You have completed the Trials of Wisdom, and shown your sound mind and knowledge. However, you have one more test before you can claim what you seek. ****You and your spirit must prove your worth through combat."** In a flash of light, the turtle was replaced with a figure whose body appeared to be made of silver, clad in a blue sage's robe that had a turtle motif, and holding a long scepter. A pair of wings that appeared to be made of water sprouted from its back. **"Defeat the Sapphire Sage, and the Wisdom Sapphire will be yours."** The Sapphire Sage started hovering above the ground as it readied its scepter.

The Champion of Cosmos hesitated at first, but she summoned her Shining Hope Keyblade and readied herself. "You ready for this, Lumina?"

The Spirit of Harmony began floating off her master's shoulder. **"Ready when you are, Mizu!"**

There was a short pause before the Sage made the first move by pointing its scepter at the girl and unleashed a large fireball at her. Mizu and Lumina split up and dodged the attack. Mizu then launched a Pearl spell, which was deflected by the Sage's scepter. Lumina flew behind it, and launched a Luminous Sphere, hitting it in the back, causing it to stagger forward. The girl then charged at it with her Keyblade, but her strike was block by a last second barrier, knocking her away. The sage then raised its scepter which was sparking with electricity. The duo's sixth senses kicked in as they started moving quickly as lightning began falling all around the arena. As she frantically avoided the bolts, Mizu charged energy into her Keyblade and threw a Strike Raid on her opponent. The attack struck the silver figure, ending the thunderstorm.

Lumina attempted to charge at it with an Angelic Spin, only to be blocked by another last second barrier. The Sage then started gliding around the arena while firing a barrage of fireballs. The spirit warped to her master and casted Divine Protection around them while the champion gathered her magic. Once the fireballs slowed down, Lumina ceased the barrier and Mizu immediate unleashed a Blizzard spell that manage to incase the Sage's scepter arm in ice. The duo quickly rushed in and struck it a few times before they were blasted away by an invisible force. The Sage thawed its arm and began conjuring icy spikes from the floor. The Keybearer dodged a few of them but then one of them struck her thigh from behind, causing her to fall on her knee. Then before she could recover, all the ice around her exploded into chucks, knocking her onto the floor.

As Mizu struggled to get up, her opponent started charging its magic while pointing its staff at Mizu. But just as it fires, Lumina darted into its arm, throwing off its aim as the projectile missed the girl. The spirit then followed up with a point blank sphere to the face, blasting it into an invisible wall at the edge of the platform. She then quickly perched on her master's shoulder. **"Healing Light!"** Lumina emitted a yellow green light that enveloped Mizu, healing her woulds and soothing her pain as she stood back up.

The Sage then began conjuring a storm of Magic Arrows that darted at the Champion one by one. But Mizu gathered her energy and focus as she started waving around her Keyblade with grace. "**Luminous Flurry!**" She unleashed a flurry of light projectiles one after another, colliding with the a good chunk of the arrows, but there were too many of them. Fortunately, Lumina finished healing Mizu and projected her barrier. Once the arrows ceased and the barrier dispelled, Mizu dashed forward while firing a few Pearl spells at the Sage, while Lumina flew around firing Luminous Spheres. The Sage conjured a barrier blocked the projectiles.

When the Champion got close enough, she leapt as she twirled her Keyblade in front of her. "**Prism Windmill!**" Her attack collided with the barrier and began grinding into it while Lumina used her Angelic Spin to do the same. As the duo continued grinding, the barrier began to slowly crack. Soon the barrier shattered, and the two's attacks struck their opponent hard.

But then the Sapphire Sage teleported high into the air before raising its scepter. The duo was stunned when a giant sphere of light was forming above it.

"That is huge!" exclaimed Mizu. "Do you think your barrier can defend against that?"

**"Unfortunately I don't think so!"** answered Lumina. **"That thing feels a lot stronger than my barrier could take.**

"Now what do we do?"

**"Mizu! Let's try our combo!"**

"Okay!"

Lumina then started glowing and began flying loop-the-loops in front of her master until a ring of light is formed. **"Magnifying Halo!"**

Mizu then pointed her Keyblade at the giant sphere and the ring aligned itself between the Keyblade and the sphere. The champion then began charge energy at the tip of her blade as the Sage then threw the sphere at the duo. "**Piercing Light!**" she shouted as she fired a beam of light. As the beam passed through the Magnifying Halo, it was enhanced, growing wider and stronger. The beam collided with the giant sphere, halting its descent. Mizu was struggling to maintain her beam and the attacks kept pushing at each other. After a bit, the beam finally pierced through the sphere, which promptly bursted into harmless sparkles, and Mizu's attack caught the Sapphire Sage, burning through it until it disintegrated.

Mizu then collapsed on her knees in exhaustion. "Cosmos, that was tough!"

**"Indeed!"** Lumina agreed as she slumped on her masters shoulder. **"But we did it! We got through our first major battle together!"**

The girl smiled at this. "Yeah, I guess we did."

_Great job, Mizu!_ Angel said.

Soon the blue mist reappeared and reformed into its turtle shape. Then the voice returned. **"Congratulations, Champion of Cosmos! You have proven yourself worthy! The Wisdom Sapphire is now yours! With it, you can enhance your magical capabilities! Use its power wisely!"** Then a blue circular gem descended from above. The ghostly turtle turned back into mist, which then absorbed into the Sapphire.

The Wisdom Sapphire then floated to Mizu and fitted itself into one of the circular slots on her amulet. She felt a power surging through her. A blue aura surrounded her, a pair of water wings sprouted from her back, and her outfit changed color from purple to blue and also gained a turtle motif. The name 'Sage Form' popped into her mind. Soon she returned to normal. "Wow!" she said. "I've never felt such power before."

**"And we've only just begun to unlock the full power of the Amulet of Harmony," **replied Lumina.

_"Well done, Mizuhime!" _The duo turned to see the ghost of Yen Sid again. _"You have certainly proven to be quite capable as a Champion of Cosmos."_

"Thank you, Master," replied Mizu.

**"So could you tell us where the other stones are?" **asked Lumina.

_"I could tell you... but I'd rather you go out and search on your own."_

**"What? Why?"**

_"Think of it as part of your test. And more importantly as...on the job training, so to speak."_

The girl tilted her head. "On the job training?"

The ghostly sorcerer began stroking his beard. _"Tell me something, Mizuhime. Putting the amulet aside, do you believe you are ready to face the cult head on?" _Mizu could only look down with hesitation. _"You have trained under Master Sora for eight years. However no amount of training alone can truly prepare you for your greatest challenges. There are times where true combat experience can be the difference between life and death. One of the biggest mistakes I've made in the past was sending someone severely lacking in experience into an all out war. It was a mistake that caused a lot of suffering, and has weighed heavily on my heart even after the damage was miraculously repaired. Even after you obtain all the Celestial Stones, it won't matter if you can't use their power to their fullest, or if your unable to fight without their power, as there's no guarantee they'll help you in every situation. And your inexperience with or without the stones could be your downfall. The Cult of Chaos is not to be trifled with. If you are to face them in battle, you will need to gain as much combat experience as you can."_

_He's__ right,_ Angel's voice told Mizu. _Anything can happen on the battlefield that could cost you if your unprepared._

**"Hard to argue with that," **said the rabbit spirit.

_"The amulet will guide you to the stones as needed. But in your search across the Realm of Light, you will surely find new worlds that are in need of a Keybearer's assistance, and encounter many Heartless to fight. That should help make you stronger, grow accustomed to your new powers, and better prepare you for the real battle."_

The champion nodded. "I understand, Master Yen Sid."

_"Good! Now then, that is all I am able to tell you for now. We will speak again another time. Go forth! Your journey awaits you!" _And with that, Master Yen Sid vanished once again.

Mizu took a deep breath. "Well, I guess its time we head back."

**"Yeah,"** replied Lumina. **"Drake and Cassidy are probably wondering what happened to you."**

With that, they walked over to the portal that appeared after receiving the sapphire, and upon touching it the duo was transported out of this pocket dimension.

* * *

**A/N: And there you have it. Mizu obtains her first Celestial Stone. I hope you all liked how I executed her trials. **

**For the Test of Value in particular I was trying to give her options for each question that all applied to her, so that in a way there was no real right or wrong answer. Like Lumina said, it was more about figuring out where her priorities lie.**

**Footnotes:**

**(1) Since I can't figure out how to describe it in simple words, I'll just tell you its Missing Ache, specifically its Level 25+ form from KHUX.**

* * *

**Changes from the Original:**

***Nobodies: In the original they were enemies primarily commanded by FF villain, Exdeath. I chose him as their commander due to his obsession with the void. This time around however, with some of the former members of Organization XIII returning as human, I decided to make them allies to the heroes who primarily serve said former Nobodies, especially Roxas. And given that I had the Heartless powered by Discord, it only made sense that I powered the Nobodies with Harmony so that they'd stand a chance. However, due to fact that Nobodies are not as common as Heartless, they're unable to use them very often, and usually reserve them for situations such as this.**

***Roxas, Namine, and Xion: Outside of a couple flashbacks, these three did not appear in the original at all. The reason for this was because at the time I was not confident at all that they would ever come back as their own people. I had just accepted all three of them as parts of Sora and Kairi and that was the end of it. Obviously after KH3 that changed, and I decided to include them in my new version.**

***Ventus and Lea: So I'm not gonna try and hide it now. Yes, two of those Lost Souls were indeed Ventus and Lea. And yes, the fact that they are Lost Souls means they are dead in this story. My reason for killing them off prior to the events of this story? All I'm willing to say is that they're deaths, plus Yen Sid's, were result of me feeling the need to have more than just one casualty as a result of the Cult's campaign. But thanks to an idea given by Kristen Verne, I found a use for them even in death. As a side note, Lea didn't appear at all in my original version, mainly due to the 'recompletion' process being unknown at the time of writing. I was planning on having him show up in my previous attempt at rewriting, but obviously that's been canned.**

***Skuld: As you've probably guessed, the third Lost Soul is Skuld from KHUX, who is highly speculated to be the identity of Subject X, an amnesiac teenaged girl mentioned several times in KH3 who was kept in Radiant Garden's lab for a time and even met Lea and Isa at least once, but then she was sent away presumably by Braig. As I'm sure you can tell, she's also dead, if not from a future game then definitely by the Cult. Fun Fact: I was considering using Strelitzia at first, but decided not to retread her Nameless Star role from KH3.**


	6. Jewels of Destruction

**A/N: So I mentioned in the author's notes in my previous chapter about Strelitzia being the Nameless Star, like pretty much everybody thought, but now the Re Mind DLC is implying that the Star may actually be Yozora's girl. How do you like that? Speaking of, I had a fun time with the DLC, up until I started playing the Limit Cut episode. Yeah, I don't know if I wanna sit through such hardcore super bosses.**

**BTW, one thing I wanna make clear before we get into other worlds is that I am NOT restricting myself to only Disney and Square-Enix properties. I'm actually planning on branching out a little on that front. If I think I can make it work, I will use it, regardless of original ownership. If you don't like it, tough beans.**

**Also to answer the guest reviewer who gave an extended story idea, my answer is...no...a thousand times no. Not only do I have enough stories on my plate as it is, but I am not going write a story that I myself would never read. And that concept just isn't my personal taste.**

* * *

**Jewels of Destruction**

* * *

Adrian leapt through the rooftops, looking for a worthy target to test his new powers. He had noticed that Durza's heavy weapon robots had been getting cut down one by one, and decided to follow that trail.

Soon he came across Keyblade Master Terra slicing another bot to pieces with his _Ends of the Earth_ Keyblade. The boy narrowed his eyes at the warrior. Terra was the first Guardian of Light Adrian had ever fought, the first opponent outside the cult that wasn't a weakling. But unfortunately, the man barely broke a sweat, the boy stood no chance against him. No matter what he did, he could not gain any ground on him. He had been tired of attacking those weaker than him, and his plea for a stronger opponent resulted in an utterly humiliating defeat. Abigail never let him live it down, always calling him the weakest. And it was not helped by the fact that every other encounter with a Keyblade Master was the same. No matter how strong he got, they always proved to be out of his league.

But now Adrian had the Hate Topaz, and was determined to see how he compared to the Guardians now. Determined to prove that he wasn't weak. With that he leapt off the building and dove greatsword first toward Terra. Normally he wouldn't be one for sneak attacks, but he figured the master would see him coming anyway.

And he was right, as Terra successfully blocked the attack. The force of the attack was a bit stronger then he usually felt from the kid, but he was able to shove him away. He shouldered his Keyblade as he stared at the boy. "You're a real glutton for punishment aren't you, Adrian?"

The redhead scoffed. "I'm used to 'punishment'. Not that you'll do much this time."

The brunette shook his head. "Compared to the rest of the Cult, you have been little more than an annoyance to us. What makes you think this fight will be any different?"

"Because I have a new power," the boy said, gesturing to the Topaz on his shoulder. "Now I'll show you how strong I really am!"

The Keyblade master raised an eyebrow at the gem, curious as to what it was. "You think a new piece jewelry is supposed to raise you to our level?"

"Why don't we find out!?" The gem then glowed as Adrian was shrouded in a dim yellow aura mixed with hints of black mist. "**Demon's Wrath!**" He let out a battlecry as he entered a berserk state. A whirlwind of power could be felt through out the vicinity. "FIGHT ME!" With that, he charged straight at his opponent.

He clashed with the master, locking blades. Terra did not expect to feel himself getting pushed back a few inches. Whatever this power was, it was clearly no joke. Still, the master managed to gather his energy and force the kid away. His keyblade's shaft then lengthened and turned elastic. "**Geo Whip!**" he called as he lashed at his opponent.

Adrian dodged the strikes, before charging his sword as his topaz flashed, "**Raging Destruction!**" He slammed the ground and a trail of explosions traveled towards the master.

Terra then slammed his Keyblade onto the ground. "**Rising Rock!**" A wall of stalagmites rose in front of him. He then jumped back and the explosions stopped right at the wall, destroying it.

The berserk boy then dashed through the dust and clashed with the keyblade master. "Taking me seriously now!?" Adrian shouted. "Or do you still think of me as a joke!?"

Terra grunted as he held the boy back. "I'll admit, you surprised me with this power. What is that gem anyway?"

"It's the Hate Topaz! One of Evol's Abyssal stones! With this, my rage makes me far stronger!" Adrian then held out his left arm as dark yellow energy emitted from the Topaz and gathered around it until it formed an astral projection of a beast claw. "**Fury Claw!**" He swiped at his enemy, sending him in the air, before leaping up and slamming him back into the ground.

Terra managed to land on his feet and one hand, though his landing left a small crater on the ground. He saw the berserker charge at him again, and his Keyblade wrapped around his arm. "**Burrow Fist!**" He punched at the boy as his Keyblade spun in a drill like fashion, grinding against him before blasting him into a wall. "You need to calm down! Or else that rage will be your downfall!"

"Don't you dare lecture me!" Adrian shouted as he dislodged himself from the wall. "My anger, my hatred...they're the only things that have kept me alive!" His berserker aura seemed to intensify.

The Keyblade master grunted before gathering energy around him. "**Rock Breaker Style!**" He gained bright orange aura as dust and gavel floated around him. He then slammed his Keyblade on the ground and a line of stalagmites rushed toward the boy.

But Adrian dodged before dashing forward again, charging power into his Bleeding Rage sword. Terra then encased his Keyblade in stone before deflecting the attack. The berserker then began swinging at the master with reckless abandon, getting blocked each time. The man had to admit, the boy was actually making him break a sweat for once. Then Terra swung at Adrian, but then caused the stone encasement on his Keyblade to explode in the boy's face upon impacting his sword, blasting him away. "**Rock Missiles!**" He then generated three long chucks of rock and threw them, only for Adrian to regain his bearings a swing his sword, generating a wave of explosions that destroyed the rocks.

Terra then raised his Keyblade and called, "**Quaga!**" as the ground around the Adrian erupted, burying him in rubble, until he bursted out with his berserker aura. Terra's eyes narrowed. "I don't know where all that hatred in your heart comes from, but trust me, it's not good for you!"

"Oh shut up!" the boy shouted. "Like you're one to talk! I know about all the losses the Guardians have suffered! You can't tell me you don't hate the Cult of Chaos, that you do not fight us with anger and hatred in your hearts too!"

The master had to pause for a second before replying. "I'd be lying if I said we didn't. I certainly will never forgive them for what they've done. But the thing about anger and hatred is that if you let them consume you, soon enough you'll lose sight of everything! Lose sight of who you are,...and what really matters!"

Adrian tilted head in confusion and frustration. "What really matters? The only thing that matters in this world is power! And wrath is the greatest source of strength!"

"If that's what you think, then you are sorely misguided."

"I'll prove it to you here and now!"

"Just try it!"

* * *

Mizu and Lumina were warped back to the cave behind the waterfall. They then exited the waterfall to find their friends waiting for them.

"About time you came back," said Cassidy. "I was getting a little antsy."

"Sorry about that," replied Mizu. "Getting the Celestial Stone wasn't easy."

Drake gazed at the Champion's amulet, particularly its new blue jewel. "So that's one of Celestial Stones? The Wisdom Sapphire I presume."

"Yes! And the others are going to be hidden just like this one was."

**"We also learned that the late Master Yen Sid was the one who hid them,"** said Lumina.

"Really?" asked Drake. "Well, no wonder acquiring them won't be easy."

"This is nice and all," Cass interjected, "but we have a major problem. While you were in there, the Cult of Chaos has launched a massive invasion on this kingdom"

Mizu was taken aback. "What?! An invasion!?"

"Yeah," said the blue haired mechanic. "Master Sora should be on his way to this location right now."

Before any more could be said, Lumina was sensing a strong source of Discord in the woods nearby, and quickly caught the flash of a projectile zipping right at her master. **"Watch out!"** she shouted as she projected a barrier that deflected the flying dagger. She then fired a Luminous Sphere right at where the assailant was hiding. However, a figure leapt out of the woods, high into air they all saw a purple haired cyborg woman.

Abigail smirked as she held out her cybernetic palm and blasted the rabbit spirit with a quick stream of dark energy, send her flying.

"Lumina!" Mizu called.

But in her momentary distraction, the assassin landed right next to them, backhanded Cassidy with her metal arm, and kicked Drake with one of her metal legs. The champion looked back at the cyborg in time to see her summon a dark dagger in her normal hand. She summoned her keyblade and blocked the strike as she looked at the assailant's grinning face.

"So you're so called Champion of Cosmos," Abigail said. "You don't look very threatening." She then swiped at Mizu with her cyber claws, knocking her onto the ground. The assassin prepared to strike again, only for Lumina to launch another Sphere at her, knocking her back. Abigail then found herself dodging magic arrows courtesy of Drake. Then she dodged a diving lance attack from Cassidy. Mizu got back up with Lumina's healing help.

_Mizu!_ Angel spoke in an urgent tone. _Do not let your guard down around her! She is as crafty as she is deadly!_

The cyborg chuckled in amusement as her opponents readied their weapons. "So, a bunch of kids think they stand a chance against me?"

"Hey!" Cassidy exclaimed. "I wouldn't underestimate us, Iron Witch! You're going down!"

"Big talk from such small prey. You lot could only whet my appetite."

"Oh yeah! Watch this!" The green haired lancer then gathered energy into the jewel on her Rune Lance. It glowed red as the head charged with fire. "**Flametongue!**" She then dashed at the assassin spear first. However, Abigail was able to duck under the trust before kicking the girl.

"**Blizzara!**" The blue haired spellcaster shouted as he launch chucks of ice from his Magitek Staff. But Abigail sidestepped them before blasting him with her palm cannon.

**"Angelic Spin!" **Lumina darted at the enemy.

Abigail then charged her claws with dark energy. "**Reaper Razor!**" She swiped at the spirit, deflecting the attack.

"**Pearl!**" Mizu fired several homing orbs of light, but the assassin deflected every one of them with her dagger.

Cassidy tried to strike again, but Abigail's cyber legs released a short rocket burst as she jumped very high into the air.

Drake raise his staff and called, "**Magic Arrows!**" as he summoned a fusillade of magic bolts. However, the assassin released another rocket burst to propel herself out of the way.

Her cyber eye then locked onto all four of them, before firing micro-missiles from her cyber arm. Mizu and Cass manage to block with their weapons but were each blasted into a tree, while Drake and Lumina each put up a barrier to block theirs.

Abigail then charged at the champion again. But Mizu quickly charge energy into the tip of her Keyblade and slam it onto the ground just as the assassin got close, causing an energy burst that caught the assassin off guard and sent her staggering backward. The girl then charged more energy and pointed at her assailant. "**Luminous Flurry!**" She fired a flurry of light projectiles, pelting the cyborg.

Abigail blocked some of them with her metal arm but there were too many for even her. Soon she generated a dark aura to tank the hits before charging a lot of energy into her palm cannon. "**Hell Buster!**" she shouted as she blasted a constant stream of dark energy at the champion.

**"Divine Protection!" **Lumina was quick to fly in and generate a gold barrier around herself and her master. However the beam was stronger than expected as the barrier started to crack.

While Abigail kept trying to break the barrier, Drake and Cassidy decided to capitalize on her distraction.

_Let's see if those cybernetics are shock proof,_ thought Drake as he raise his staff. "**Thundara!**" He managed to strike the woman with lightning, stopping her Hell Buster cold, and causing her cyber parts to spark.

Cassidy then followed suit as her spearhead's jewel glowed yellow. "**Thunderblade!**" Her spear was charged with electricity as she dashed towards the cyborg. "**Lightning Joust!**" She trusted at the enemy, who blocked with her cyber arm but was sent backwards.

The electricity was starting to short circuit Abigail's cybernetics, leaving her vulnerable. _Damn! That Durza really needs to improve these things' shock resistance!_ She looked up to see, the Keyblade Princess dashing over to her with her blade in hand. She then moved her long purple bangs to reveal a magenta stone embedded on her forehead. Lumina gasped at the sight, recognizing the Pain Garnet, but was too late to warn the others as the gem glowed. "**Piercing Screech!**" Abigail called as a supersonic wave suddenly rang in everyone else's ears, causing them all to cry in pain as they covered them and felt to their knees.

The assassin smirked as her cybernetics' rebooted themselves and she was able to move them again. "Oh, I'm liking this new power." She then approached her primary target. "With this Pain Garnet, I can torture my victims in a lot more ways now." She then grabbed the delirious Mizu with her normal hand. "For example, **Torture Taser!**" Her gem glows again and she channel electricity through her contact. The silver haired girl screamed in agony. Abigail laughed with delight. "That's it, girly! Scream! Scream some more! I love it when my prey begs for mercy!" She then raised her claws, ready to finish once she was satisfied.

But then she suddenly got hit with a chain flail to the face, cause her to drop the girl and sending her crashing into the trees.

"**Curaga!**" a familiar voice called and yellow-green light engulfed everyone, healing them. They all looked up to see Sora himself standing in front of them, facing the direction of the enemy, with his King Mace in hand.

"Master Sora!" exclaimed Mizu. "Thank Cosmos, you made it!"

Not taking his eyes off his enemy, Sora said, "Mizu, listen carefully. The others and I have talked it over and we've decided."

"Decided what?"

"That the time has come for you to start your own journey. Your orders are to go out into the other worlds and look for the other Celestial Stones. They are our best chance at turning the tide against the cult."

"But...what are you going to do?"

"After this battle is over, we need to start going on the offensive. The Guardians of Light will go out and start taking back what the cult has taken over. And ideally, keep as many cult members off your trail as possible so they don't start ganging up on you."

Mizu put her hand to her heart in nervousness. "You...really want me to go alone?"

Sora chuckled. "Not exactly! Drake, Cassidy, can I count on you both to watch Mizu's back?"

Cassidy smirked as she gave a thumbs up. "Like you even need to ask!"

Drake smirked as he crossed his arms. "I think we can handle it."

"Good!" The Keyblade Master then noticed that the assassin was starting to get up. "Then all of you get going now!"

The champion was concerned. "B-but...the invasion..."

"Don't worry! We've dealt with worse than this! Let us clean up this mess! The sooner you set out, the sooner we can turn the tide!"

Mizu was still visibly hesitant. "I..."

**"He's right, Mizu!" **said Lumina. **"We have to complete the Amulet of Harmony as soon as possible. Let the masters handle this, and get stronger ourselves while we search!"**

Mizu knew they had a point but she still couldn't help but worry.

_Don't worry, Mizu,_ Angel spoke softly. _One thing Sora is known for is his resilience. Trust me! He won't go down so easily. Just believe in him, and he and the others will be fine._

With that Mizu relented. "Alright... May the light shine upon you, Master Sora."

"And you!" Sora replied.

Abigail turned to them with a bitter expression, her cyber eye having been busted by the King's Mace. "You're not going anywhere!" She leaped toward them, only to be forced to dodge the chain flail.

"Go!" Sora ordered.

Mizu, Lumina, Cassidy, and Drake wasted no time in getting out of there.

The assassin growled at the fact that her prey got away. But she soon chuckled at the Keyblade Master in front of her. "Long time no see, Keyblade Master Sora! Oh how I have missed you so much!"

Sora narrowed his eyes at his enemy. "I bet you did! But frankly, I can't say the feeling is mutual."

"Oh I am hurt, love," Abigail said mockingly. "After all these years, don't tell me you're still mad at me."

The Hero of Light gritted his teeth before pointing his mace. "After what you did, can you really blame me?!"

The assassin laughed in response as she raised her robot arm. "I wonder... How attached have you become to your little ward?" She then activated her Reaper Razor. "Will hurt just as badly...or perhaps worse after I kill her too?"

"Shut up!" Sora shouted as he charged at his opponent.

* * *

The Disney castle guards were fighting the enemy as best as they could. Thankfully the Harmony Nobodies were helping them keep their ground. Especially the Sentinel Nobodies**(1)**, with their large shields for arms and magic turret guns on their hunched backs, serving as the primary defense of the army. Donald and Goofy were both leading the front, while also evacuating the civilians.

Soon an anthropomorphic dog came rolling on a bladed skateboard, jump up, and performed a spinning trick that sliced through a few Air Soldiers. When he landed, he kicked his board up and grabbed a handle before blocking an attack from an Armored Knight. He shoved the Heartless away before twirling his bladed board, dispatching the Knight and a few Shadows that came at him. He was then confronted by a beast shield wielding Defender.

Then a chubby anthro' cat jumped in front and swung his gauntlet covered arms to knock the shield away before throwing a power punch, blasting it away. A walking tank approached them, as it aimed its laser cannon. But as soon as it fired, he threw his arms forward and generated a magic barrier that reflected the blast right back at the robot, destroying it.

The dog raised his hand in high five. "Nice one, PJ!"

The cat identified as PJ took the high five. "Not bad yourself, Max!"

A few Rapid Thrusters came charging at them, only to be skewered by magic crossbow bolts, courtesy of a red haired female dog. Max gave her a thumbs up. "Nice shooting, Roxanne!"

Roxanne giggled with a blush. "Thanks, Max!"

Soon more Heartless show up and Max smirked. "All right! Let's keep this momentum going!" He then dashed into the fray as he swung his blade-board around dispatching the monsters.

Goofy was watching from the behind the Sentinels, when he spotted something in the direction his son was heading and gasped. "Maxie! Look out!"

That warning came too late as Max suddenly found his board collided with something that felt like a sturdy steel wall. But to his shock it was a man's tattooed, dark skinned, bare abs...completely undamaged despite being struck by a sharp edge. No matter how hard he pushed, the blade just would penetrate the skin, nor would the figure in question budge an inch. The young dog looked up to see Thaddeus himself right in front of him glaring down at him. Max sweated a little before being hit hard by an uppercut.

"MAX!" cried Roxanne as she watched her boyfriend soar over her head until he crashed behind the Sentinels next to his father.

"It's Thaddeus!" Donald shouted. "Retreat!"

Goofy began dragging his dizzy son away from the Cult general. Roxanne started fearfully shooting her magic bolts, PJ was throwing magic bombs, and the Sentinels were shooting their energy blasts, all the while everyone was stepping back. Unfortunate, nothing they were threw at him seemed to faze him.

The dark warrior then summoned his axe and charged dark energy before raising it. "**Chaos Crusher!**" He slammed his weapon hard on the ground, creating a ground destroying shockwave.

Roxanne quickly retreated behind the Sentinels, who put their shielded arm together in defense, and PJ put up another barrier. Unfortunate their defenses were not enough as the wave broke right through them, destroying the Nobodies and blasting the toon soldiers away, many of them finding themselves trapped in the rubble.

Thaddeus then scoffed. "Is this all you toons have to offer? Pathetic!"

He then found a Berserker, and a bulky, axe wielding Barbarian**(2) **Nobody appearing before him. The Berserker attacked from his left with its hammer-sword, which he grabbed with his gauntlet clad hand, while the Barbarian attacked from his right with its axe, which he blocked with his own. Soon, the new black gem on his chest glowed, and energy seemed to transfer from the Nobodies into him. The two writhed in pain until they fell to the ground. Thaddeus then proceeded to chop both of them into oblivion.

He then walked to the large destroyed robot and picked up the very heavy looking thing like it was nothing. He then threw it at the still downed soldiers. Those that were conscious, including Donald, Goofy, Max, Roxanne, and PJ, fearfully braced themselves for impact. However, the large hunk of scrap metal was suddenly sliced in half, redirecting the trajectory of both halves into nearby walls. Landing on the ground after was Riku with is _Braveheart _Keyblade in hand.

Without missing a beat, Riku charged at the dark warrior, casting several Firagas and Dark Firagas as he ran. Thaddeus just tanked the projectiles before he swung at the incoming Keyblade Master. The Keybearer just leapt high above before charging his Keyblade with darkness. "**Shadow Dive!**"

Thaddeus jumped away, dodging the attack. He then brought his axe down on his opponent, only for Riku to sidestep, followed by back-stepping another swing. The large brute then raised his axe and generated three dark red energy axes. "**Axes of Ruin!**" The energy axe then began twirling before flying toward the Keybearer.

Riku deflected all three axes before dashing at the warrior. "**Shadowbreaker!**" He spun once with slash of darkness, which was dodged, spun a second time with a slash of light, also dodged, and final he swung down with a slash of both, clashing with the real axe, locking weapons with each other.

Thaddeus chuckled. "You've always been a fine warrior, Riku! And you use darkness well! It's a real shame you're not on our side."

Riku scoffed. "I got nothing to gain from the likes of you! Nor would I ever join a crowd that does nothing but ruin innocent lives!"

"Too bad!" The general's Oblivion Onyx then glowed again. "**Power Vacuum!**"

The Keyblade Master grunted in pain as he suddenly felt his energy being pulled out of him. "Wha...what the... My...strength..." Riku found that he couldn't remove his blade from his opponent's axe, nor could he let go. He noticed the new gem on Thaddeus's chest glowing before gazing at his smug grin.

Suddenly the muscle man found himself kicked hard in the face, catching him off guard, and ceasing his Power Vacuum. Riku took the opportunity to leap back, though found himself kneeling in exhaustion. That power sucked a lot out of him.

Roxas landed in front of him, Keyblades at the ready. "Riku! Are you all right? What happened?"

"My...power...feels like...it got...sucked out of me..." Riku said in between breaths. "I think...it was...that black gem..."

The dual wielder gazed at what his fellow Keyblade Master was talking about. "That definitely wasn't there before. What is that thing?"

"If I had to guess...it has to be...one of the Abyssal Stones...Lumina told us about..."

"Very perceptive!" said Thaddeus. "Too bad it won't do you much good!"

"We'll see about that! **Spark Raid!**" Roxas twirled his Keyblades and a barrage of light disks fired at the axeman, who once again tanked them. Roxas speed around him, and attack from his left with _Oblivion_, only for Thaddeus to catch it in his free hand.

The general then began absorbing Roxas's power before gathering the strength stolen from both Keyblade Master's into the blade of his axe, which emitted a black and white aura. "**Pillaged Divider!**" He swung down at the blond, who defended with _Oathkeeper_. It held up until it started to crack.

This prompted, Roxas gathered what power he could. "**Holy Circle!**" A bunch of vertical beams of light gathered around him, intense enough to make Thaddeus flinch and jump away. Roxas then leapt back to Riku's side as he looked at his fractured Keyblade. "Damn! To be able to damage a Keyblade like this! That stone is no joke!" He dismissed _Oathkeeper_, not wanting to risk damaging it any further until he could repair it.

Thaddeus grinned. "As you can see, I can now turn your own power against you! How do you plan on defeating me now?"

Riku used a Mega-Ether to reenergize them both. "We can't allow him to sap any more of our strength. We'll need to be smart about this." He then raise his _Braveheart_ and it transformed into a large silver headed spear. "**Gungnir!**"

Roxas then held out _Oblivion_ and it transformed into a long black chain with a sickle on one end and a spiked weight on the other. "**Night Kusarigama!**"

"You can try!" shouted Thaddeus as he raised his axe. "**Swords of Desolation!**" He conjured a lot of dark energy blades, which rained down onto the Keyblade Masters, forcing them to deflect them with their transformed Keyblades.

* * *

"We've gotta get to the Gummi Hanger," said Drake as the group ran through the forest. "We'll take the Phoenix out of here."

"Finally!" said Cassidy. "Time to take that baby out for a spin!"

"Just remember that this not a trial run."

Mizu thought for a second before looking to her spirit companion. "Lumina? Could you fly ahead and check out the town from above?"

**"As you wish, Mizu!"** Lumina then sped ahead.

The champion then raised her right hand, as her Mark of Harmony began to glow. "**Harmonic Sight!**" Soon her blue eyes glowed white, while in the distance Lumina's gray eyes glowed blue.

Cass noticed what Mizu was doing. "What are you doing?"

"It's a little technique Lumina and I can use thanks to our bond," Mizu answered. "It allows us to share each other's sights. I can see was she sees, and she can see what I see."

"Huh... kinda makes my drone obsolete," Drake muttered to himself. "So what do you see."

"The town is half destroyed. Discord Heartless and robots are everywhere. The King Mickey's guards and Master Roxas's Harmony Nobodies are fighting back. Neither side seems to be gaining much ground at the moment." The silver head then sighed. "It really doesn't feel right just leaving like this."

"I understand how you feel, Mizu. But we have our orders. They're Keyblade Masters so they can handle this. And the way we are at the moment, we'd probably only get in the way. After what happened back there, I don't think we can take the Cult head on right now."

Lumina warped back to their side as their Harmonic Sight deactivated. **"Especially seeing how that assassin is now in possession of one of the Abyssal Stones. Who's to say the others won't have one as well? This will complicate things even further. ****Although... embedding an Abyssal Stone directly onto one's body like that is very dangerous. I wouldn't even recommend doing that with the Celestial Stones. Who knows what containing such ancient power in one's body could do to someone?"**

"Still, once she used that Garnet, we were pretty much helpless," said Mizu. "It was a good thing Master Sora arrived in time, but we might not be so lucky next time."

"Well, all the more reason we need to get stronger," said Cassidy. "Then we will actually be able to fight alongside the Guardians of Light, instead of depending on them to bail us out all the time. That's the point of this new mission, right?"

Mizu sighed again, knowing that her friends are right. All she could do right now was trust that her master and the others knew what they were doing. "Right... Let's get moving."

Suddenly, a large heavy object dropped from the sky in front of them, causing them to fall over from the shaking ground. They looked up to see a large white and black robot with a rectangular body, with two legs, a red lensed camera on its left side, a laser cannon on the right, and a missile chamber on top. The robot of accompanied by a swarm of flying drones. "Going somewhere, princess?" A voice sounded from the speakers.

Drake stood up. "I'm gonna take a wild guess and say you must be Dr Durza."

"You are correct, children!" Soon a dark corridor opened in front of the walking tank and out walked the mad scientist himself. He looked at the Mizu. "And you must be the Champion of Cosmos. A pleasure to meet such a fine specimen."

Mizu felt chills run down her spine at that comment. "What do you want?"

"You think I'd just let our target get away that easily? I don't think so!"

Cassidy summoned her spear. "And what is a science geek like you gonna do us?"

"Me? Nothing! My Z-75 Hunter Drones and Z-248 Heavy Tank will see to you all! I'd love to stay and observe in person, but I'm afraid I have too much work to do at the moment. Honestly, the only reason I'm here right now is to test this out." Durza raised his right hand, revealing the Terror Turquoise on the back of his hand, putting everyone on edge. "Let's see how you handle this." The Turquoise then glowed as a strange buzzing sound**(3)** sounded in everyone's ears. "**Illusory Darkness!**"

A cyan light covered the area, as ethereal blocks popped in and out of existence. And before they knew what happened, the group suddenly found themselves surrounded by pitch blackness. The heroes could somehow still see each other but nothing else.

"Whoa!" shouted Cassidy. "What's going on?"

**"We're trapped in an illusion!"** exclaimed Lumina.** "This is the power of the Terror Turquoise!"**

"That's right!" Durza's voice returned from the radio, having left after casting the illusion. "Takes augmented reality to a whole new level, doesn't it? Let us see how the lot of you fair!"

Suddenly a laser blast, came from the blackness and impacted Cass's shoulder. "Ah! What the hell!"

Then more lasers began firing down from every angle, forcing everyone to dodge or deflect. They weren't having it easy though as they kept getting pelted every now and then.

**"Watch out!" **Lumina shouted at she quickly used her barrier to block a much larger blast.

"Yikes!" Said Drake. "That must have come from the Heavy Tank."

Cass then grunts in frustration. "I can't see shit! How are we suppose fight like this?"

"Lumina?" asked Mizu, "Is there any way we can dispel this illusion?"

**"I will need time to gather my power," **answered Lumina, **"but I think I can manage. Hold them off until then."**

"Let's try this!" The blue head raised his staff. "**Magnet!**" A magic orb appeared and soon a few drone were pulling into the orb from out of the darkness. Then Cassidy and Mizu both promptly destroyed the drones, but there were more where those came from.

They repeated this a few times, but they felt like this strategy wasn't doing them much good, and the laser blasts were coming more frequently, especially the larger one.

Soon, Mizu found herself on the ground after getting caught in the blast of the larger laser. _This isn't good!_ thought Mizu. _At this rate, we won't last much longer!_

_Perhaps now's a good time to try out your new power!_ said Angel.

_Good idea!_ The silverhead then stood back up grabbed her amulet and concentrated. Soon the Wisdom Sapphire glowed bright as a blue light shrouded the girl. "**Sage Form!**" Her purple dress turned blue and gain a turtle motif, and a pair of wings made of water sprouted from her back. Her feet started emit blue mist as she hovered just above the ground.

She suddenly sensed a great volley of lasers charging up, including the tank's, thanks to her new form's heightened senses. "Everyone get close!" The group obeyed before she raised her Keyblade. "**Turtle Wall!**" A silver barrier with a turtle shell like pattern surrounded them, and all the projectiles seemed to ricochet off it in random directs. A several explosions from outside the blackness could be heard.

"Wow, Mizu!" The green hair girl said in awe. "That is awesome!"

**"Mizu!"** shouted Lumina as she flew above her master. **"Synch your power with me, now!"**

"Right!" She pointed her Keyblade at her spirit companion, and began synching with her.

Once enough power was gather, they both shouted, **"Clear White!" **and a bright light shrouded the area. Once the light doused, the Illusory Darkness was gone, and they could now see everything again, including the remaining Hunter Drones, and the Heavy Tank.

"Hey, it worked!" exclaimed Drake.

"Impressive, Champion of Cosmos!" Durza voice called from the Heavy Tank's speaker. "But let's see if you still have the power to defeat my mechs." With that, the tank opened a rocket chamber, from atop its head, and fired a barrage of missiles.

Mizu generated an orb of fire on the tip of her Keyblade. "**Pyroblast!**" She launched a fusillade of fireballs, which intercepted the missiles, making them explode on impact.

The drones started raining fire upon them again. Mizu was able to maneuver around the laser blasts thanks to her form's ability to slide along the ground, while Cass was able to deflect by twirling her lance, and Drake was able to put up his own small barrier. A larger laser fired right at the silverhead, only for her to suddenly vanish in a flash of light just before it could hit, and she reappeared above the Heavy Tank.

The champion then gathered electricity through her Keyblade. "**Plasma Shot!**" she fired an electric orb at the tank which exploded upon impact, causing it to shake for a moment from the shock, and the electric pulse was wide enough to electrify and shut down the Hunter Drones closest to it. It then started firing its heavy laser and missiles at her, only for her to maneuver around them. She started firing Pearl spells at it, while Lumina flew above it to fire Luminous Spheres. The thing was a durable piece of hardware, no question.

Meanwhile, the jewel on Cassidy's spearhead glowed green as she charged it with wind. "**Windcutter!**" She then jabbed onto the ground, using the wind magic to shoot herself high into the air before she began spinning herself as she swung her Rune Lance. "**Cyclone Slice!**" she shouted as the wind sliced through many drones in her wake.

Then Drake raise his Magitek Staff. "**Thundara!**" He called down a rain of lightning bolts onto the remained drones, electrifying and shutting them down.

Soon, the drones were all but destroyed, as the two turned their attention to the Heavy Tank that Mizu and Lumina were keeping busy.

The Keyblade Princess soon gathered a cold mist through her Keyblade. "**Glacial Spike!**" She fired a large chuck of ice which punctured its laser cannon, cause it to explode, the force of which made the Tank stagger.

**"Angelic Spin!"** Lumina charged into one of its unsteady legs, causing it to fall over.

Cassidy then pulled back her wind charged spear. "**Whirlwind Javelin!**" She threw her weapon at one of the Tank's legs, breaking it off and preventing it from getting back up.

Drake then conjured several Magic Arrows, and then combined them with fire magic. "**Fira Arrows!**" He threw them just as the mech opened its missile chamber, piercing into it and setting of the remaining explosives.

Mizu then leapt over the helpless robot as she gather her magical energy. "**Turtle Wall: Shards!**" She put up her shell-like barrier again, only to intentionally break it apart and throw the shards right into the mech, causing one last explosion to finish it off.

After that, Sage Form deactivated, and Mizu fell onto her knees in exhaustion.

"Are you okay, Mizu?" asked Drake.

"Y-yeah...but wow...that took a lot...out of me," the silverhead said in between breaths.

Lumina perched onto her master's shoulder, as she started channel her healing powers. **"You're still not use to channeling such divine power through your body. But don't worry! You'll get the hang of it soon enough!"**

"But oh man! That was awesome!" exclaimed Cassidy as she pumped her fists. "You were a total wizard with that stone!"

Mizu blushed at the praise. "Thanks Cass!"

"That was quite a spectacle!" Everyone jumped as they looked up to see that one of Hunter Drones still online. I'd expect no less from the cult's sworn enemy. But don't get too excited, those were mere test dummies compared to what else I have in store. You may be a fine specimen, Champion of Cosmos, but you'll be disposable garbage compared to the specimen I'm working on! If you survive long enough for me to complete our ultimate weapon, you'll be in for a real treat! One way or another you should prepare to be torn limb from limb!" Durza's voice then laugh maniacally before the drone disappeared in a dark portal.

As Cassidy helped Mizu up, Drake looked down at the busted robots. He picked up one of the broken Hunter Drone and examined it closely. _No mistaking it,_ he thought. _These are ZephyrCorp bots. I thought the company had been destroyed. How did one member of the Cult get his hands on so many of these?_ Deciding he'll worry about that later, he settled with taking a few pictures of the Z-75 Hunter Drones and the Z-248 Heavy Tank on his Gummiphone before turning to the others. "Come on! We still need to get to the Gummi Hanger."

Mizu nodded. "Right!"

* * *

King Mickey and Queen Minnie were inside the Hall of the Cornerstone, in front of the Cornerstone of Light that they had treasured for decades, the very thing that had been keeping Heartless from entering the castle.

Minnie had been staring at her Gummiphone, watching live surveillance footage of the invasion. "It's not looking good out there, Mickey! Are you certain you shouldn't go out and help everyone."

"If things go too badly out there, this Cornerstone provides the only safe haven this kingdom has," said Mickey. "We can't allow the Cult to take that protection away."

"How clever of you!" a new voice suddenly sounded. "Too bad your efforts will be in vain."

The monarchs turned to see a dark sorceress arrive from the darkness. They took note of her dark scepter, and her gauntlet.

The king summoned his _Star Cluster_ Keyblade as he narrowed his eyes. "You... You're Evol Reficul, aren't you?"

"And you are Mickey Mouse," Evol stated with a smug grin. "What an honor to meet the sorcerer's apprentice."

"Your gonna pay for what you did to Master Yen Sid!"

"I highly doubt it. Now, if you know what's good for you, you will stand aside, and allow me to smash this cornerstone to oblivion."

"Not a chance!" Mickey then leapt to attack the dark priestess, only to hit empty air as she warped away.

She reappeared behind the cornerstone and charged darkness onto the tip of her scepter. "**Shadow Ray!**" She fired a beam of darkness at it. An aura of gold light seemed to be resisting the beam.

"**Pearl!**" The queen called as she fired a few light orbs from her palm. However, Evol blocked the orbs with her gauntlet.

"**Radiant Spiral!**" Mickey called as he leapt over the cornerstone and came down on the sorceress with a shining vertical spinning attack.

Evol was forced to cease her Shadow Ray and block with her scepter, and was forced backward. She smirked with intrigue. "Hmm...You have fortified the Cornerstone of Light with the spirit's Power of Harmony. Clever! But it won't work for long!" She then waved her staff. "**Dark Mine!**" Several dark mystical bombs appeared around the mouse king. He quickly projected a barrier before they exploded. She then pointed her scepter and a dark glyph appeared on the ground right next to the cornerstone for a brief second before fading.

"**Faith!**" Minnie called as beams of light rained down from above.

The priestess projected a barrier, blocking the attack. When the rain ceased, she dispelled her barrier before charging darkness. "**Onyx!**"**(4)** She fired several spheres of darkness at the two royal mice. Minnie protected herself with a barrier while Mickey dodged them before charging at her with his Keyblade again, only for her to warped away once again.

Mickey glared at the dark sorceress. "Why are you doing all this?! Conquering worlds... ruining innocent lives... and for what?!"

"The likes of you who cling to the light would never understand what I must do to please Lord Chaos," Evol said before raising her scepter as it charged with electricity. "**Chaos Storm!**" A storm of black lightning rained down, zapping the couple and blasting them back. She then pointed her staff again and a second dark glyph briefly appeared on the ground next to the cornerstone in a different spot from the first.

Mickey managed to get up and casted a healing light on himself and his wife. Then the duo began casting Pearl spells one after the other, while the priestess countered with her Onyx spells. After a while, Evol raised her gauntlet hand and Mickey suddenly felt a slight squeeze on his heart before an invisible force shoved him into Minnie. She then quickly made a third glyph, before gather darkness. "**Void!**"**(5)** she called as beams of darkness began erupting from the floor.

Mickey quickly picked up Minnie, carrying her bridal style as he leapt all over the place to dodge the beams. Soon he leapt above the sorceress as he pointed his Keyblade at her, gathering light while Minnie did the same with her palm. "**Ulim-**"

"**Stopza!**" Evol cut them off by freezing them in time. She then started walking passed the couple. "Foolish mice! I may have relinquished some of my power to my subordinates, but I don't need that much to defeat vermin like you." As she walked a fair distance behind them, she generated a pool of darkness underneath them. "In just a few moments, this whole peaceful kingdom will experience true despair. **Abyss!(6)**" A large eruption of darkness enveloped the royal mice. She then created a fourth glyph, this time on the ceiling above the cornerstone.

As the darkness settled, the rulers were on the ground, Minnie lied motionless while Mickey struggle to move. "Please...don't..."

Evol raised her scepter as the four glyphs she set up reappeared. "**Skewering Discord!**" she shouted as numerous dark needles jutted out of the glyphs and stabbed into the cornerstone. Like before, a gold light offered resistance. However, the dark priestess then raised her Gauntlet of Discord, which started glowing, adding more power to the dark needles. Soon, there was a cracking sound that grew and grew...

...And soon the Cornerstone of Light was completely shattered.

* * *

**A/N: And there you have it. A short demonstration of the what the Abyssal Stones can do, as well as Mizu's Wisdom Sapphire and Sage Form. And also a little proof that even without her stones, Evol is not to be taken lightly. I hope you all liked it.**

**Footnotes:**

**(1) What I imagine Vexen would've controlled.**

**(2) What I imagine Lexeaus would've controlled.**

**(3) Think of the sound the Phantom Ruby from _Sonic Forces_ makes. **

**(4) Think of this as the dark counterpart of the 'Pearl' spell.**

**(5) Dark counterpart to 'Faith'.**

**(6) Dark 'Ultima'.**

* * *

**Changes from the original:**

***Mizu's Party: In the original, Mizu had spent the majority of her journey flying solo. Her main reason was that due to the loss she had just experienced she didn't want anyone else getting hurt because of her. She did eventually let others join her, but it wasn't until like two-thirds to three-quarters of the way through. This time around, she's had eight years to cope with her loss, and Sora has had time to drill into her the value of having friends along for the ride. So now Mizu is not as reluctant to have teammates as she was in the original. Plus, thinking about it realistically, I don't think the Guardians would be willing to let her go off on her own without back up, regardless of her reasons not to. Yes, I could've just had her party members be Donald and Goofy, but let's be real, that wouldn't nearly be as interesting. And so Cassidy and Drake were created to be her main party members.**

***Cornerstone of Light: I don't remember it being mentioned in my original script format story, but in my previous attempt at rewriting I had it so that the Cornerstone of Light was destroyed prior to the beginning of the story. How it happened was not explain. But for this new story I decided to have the invasion of Disney Town and the destruction of the Cornerstone be the first major event to show exactly how much of a threat these guys are. Plus I decided to have Evol herself do the deed to show that she won't just sit on her throne a hundred percent of the time, and will step in herself whenever she deems necessary.**


End file.
